If you could get married at any location in Ireland, where would it be? Newgrange? The Rock of Cashel? The Casino at Marino? Dublin Castle? 

Dream weddings at some of these beautiful historic Irish sites are currently a reality, and more are set to be added to the list.

On Valentine's Day 2014, Ireland's Office of Public Works (OPW) announced that it was in negotiations with the Health Service Executive (HSE) about opening up such place as Desmond Hall in Newcastlewest, County Limerick and the Main Guard in Clonmel, County Tipperary as venues for civil ceremonies.

There are regulations regarding the suitability of locations as venues civil wedding ceremonies and it is up to the HSE to give permission. Approval for OPW sites is only for the ceremony itself and not the reception afterwards.

At the time of the announcement, a number of ceremonies had already taken place at sites such as Castletown House in County Kildare and the Casino at Marino in Dublin, and the OPW was looking to increase the number of its sites available for weddings.

“These are just two of our wonderful and iconic sites that are a key part of our cultural heritage. There are many other sites in our portfolio apart from the obvious ones – hidden gems if you will – and we are very interested in bringing people to these places and opening them up to more visitors and a greater variety of uses," Minister of State Brian Hayes said at the time. "To this end, I have long felt that there is a great potential in some of our heritage sites to become venues for Civil Ceremonies,” he said.

The formal announcement of the first group of Irish heritage sites open for weddings came in March 2015 and more are still being examined. Here are the sites that are currently open for your dream Irish wedding! 

Castletown House, Co. Kildare


Barryscourt Castle, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork


Desmond Hall, Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick


Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny


Blasket Island Visitor Centre, Dunquin, Co. Kerry


The Ceide Fields Visitor Centre, Co. Mayo

The Casino at Marino, Dublin

An OPW spokesperson said that couples interested in getting married at a certain site should contact them at permissions@opw.ie about possibly holding a ceremony at the location, but decision are made on a “case by case basis.”

Would you want to get married at one of Irelands heritage sites? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

*Originally published Valentine's Day 2014; updated October 2015.