We arrive with high hopes of Christmas cheer and the gift of gastronomy; not only is Barberstown Castle within striking distance of Dublin airport, but it's only 15 minutes from Richard Corrigan's new restaurant, The Mill at Lyons.
The fun starts when my friend Clare and I catch our first glimpse of the castle. We've never seen one quite so close to a mini-roundabout before.
The keep, built by Nicholas Barby (pre-roundabout), was extended in the 1600s to include a stone dwelling - the attractive white mansion we can see from the road - and is one of the few houses in Ireland to have enjoyed continuous occupation for more than 400 years. It was briefly owned by Eric Clapton, before he sold it to the present owner, and it's listed in the prestigious Blue Book of Ireland's historic country houses.
The hotel's history says the last bit was added in 1830, but from the car park we can see that this isn't strictly true. Barberstown Castle has what hotels call a "new wing" and what I call a "conference barracks" (built to accommodate the PowerPoint brigade).
The new wing pretty much mirrors the old, and they are linked by an unusual double-height conservatory-cum-drawing room where a massive Christmas tree takes full advantage of the proportions.
"Bet we're in the new bit," whispers Clare. She's right. Off we go along acres of royal blue carpet with vivid yellow fleur de lys, on which a forlorn period sofa has been stranded. Can't complain about our room - big enough to run round, it has some hefty antiques, supremely comfortable beds, and luxurious bathroom - it's just a shame you can't buy in atmosphere while you're ordering the bedside lights.
Back to reception and we sidle through the Colo-rectal Cancer Conference delegates (what did I tell you?) milling in the conservatory, and into the old wing. Gosh. We're in a different world. We tumble along narrow corridors lined with old oil paintings and prints, fiddling with antique desks and touching stag heads. Heavy old doors lead to the bedrooms - all of which, of course, are different and span the centuries. At the far end is the tower, which houses a banqueting room for groups. The "main" restaurant is actually a series of small beautifully laid rooms with stunning displays of amaryllis, red roses, rowan and fern. Tonight, though, we're cabbing it down the road, to eat chez Corrigan.
The bar's like a perfect alpine chalet. The restaurant is down a flight of steps in a vaulted banqueting hall of almost overwhelming proportions. Jeepers. I'm expecting a hot night out, and by the look of the period French fireplace - a 15ft affair with a log basket the size of a rack - I think I'm in with a chance.
Food is serious indeed, but we're hopeless at remembering the menu descriptions so every course (for example, seared hand-dived scallops with confit pork belly, boudin noir and cider butter sauce) comes as an exciting surprise. Chatter from the 70-odd other diners reaches quite a pitch - are they trying to remember what they ordered, too?
We eschew digestifs for hot port and lemon back at our hotel bar (old wing). It's so nice and relaxed. The barman has a lovely handlebar moustache and comes round to chat. "Even the walls ooze relaxation in here," says Clare. This place has charm in spades - but my money's on the old wing.
· Barberstown Castle (+353 1 6288 157; barberstowncastle.ie). Rooms from €230 including beautifully presented breakfast. The Mill at Lyons (00 353 1 630 3500, villageatlyons.com). Dinner around €80 per head for three courses excluding wine. Further info: discoverireland.com, 0800 039 7000.
• This article was amended on 18 August 2010. In the original, the caption read: "Barberstone Castle in Dublin". This has been corrected.
