Wedding venue - Markree castle Sligo

littleredspot · 13-11-2012 08:44PM

I got married in Belleek. One of the reasons we picked it was because we were getting married in November and there's nothing nicer than walking into a homely atmosphere and a roaring fire on a cold day. There certainly wasn't any complaints about heating. The different colours of the leaves in the forest at that time of year added to the entrance too.

If you're looking for a castle venue I couldn't recommend it enough, from the entrance panorama after the trip through the forest, to the first time you walk into the amazing reception room. Your guests will be oohing and ahing the whole time.

I'm not sure do they still do it but we rented the whole place out for 3 days which really adds to the atmosphere. Your own private castle for you and your family and friends. We found the staff to be very obliging and friendly too. Any questions feel free.

annabella26 · 16-11-2012 11:42PM

we had same problem while looking at markree (it was too small for ours anyway but i loved the idea of gettin photos at it as its beautiful) have to say kim in castle dargan went above and beyond call of duty when we booked ours there though ( we had provisionally booked and someone had already prov booked it) was a massive f*p up an i spent a few hours very teary eyed but she personally triple checked everything after and i do feel she will make sure there are no more hic ups

but if u have ur heart set on markree are u going to regret it yrs down the line if u book somewhere else?

Mac0783 · 19-11-2012 01:19PM

we went to Markree's wedding fair on saturday and i was so impressed the place looked amazing, and everyone we brought thought it was lovely as well. still have to sit down with them and haggle out a qoute and details etc.. but we're definitely going with it. my only worry now is how much extra to ask for, not going to ask for anything off the dinner rate but want to get as much as possible included. anyone have any suggestions on what we should be looking for?

TAPA2012 · 20-11-2012 10:18AM

Hi also sent my researchers into Markree during the wedding fair. They thought it was nice and chatted to the staff who were pleasant. I just feel my own dealings by email and phone really highlighted how poorly organised they are.

It took two weeks to get a quote!! eventually it arrived and yes alas we thought! unfortunately it wasn't what we had asked for! I suppose I should clarify just what we asked for incase your thinking all sorts, most hotels quoted us for this in a few hours. We asked for a quote on a set meal of 5 courses with no choices, a pre-eve meal and bedrooms on the night of the wedding and a few nights for us honeymooners, oh and also the stairs to have candles and ivy. To make it even more confusing it was a different person who replied to our email with a quote on just a choiced meal not what we had asked for and no other prices at all. After two weeks its a bit of a joke! So now I am super confused as to who is the wedding co-ordinator? Three ppl only adds to confusion and hence why they are so unorganised. Also to make matters worse is that the staff knew us and what we had asked for and were saying to my investigators that we must send the accommodation on to us BUT they dont have prices for next year yet, sorry to tell them that 2013 is only a few weeks away lol

Highlighting yet again that Markree are not organised!

grainuaile · 05-03-2013 05:28PM

I'd love a bit of help from anyone who has been married in Markree recently. I had a quick look around today by myself as the wedding co-ordinator was off, and Im wondering if anyone can enlighten me as to where the dancing etc takes place? is it in the room with the bay window? and if thats the case it would seem the dancefloor is totally separate from the bar. Has that proven difficult? I do have an appointment with Simon on saturday but i have a bee in my bonnet now and can't seem to find any pictures or reviews online to enlighten me on this point!
thanks

Gráinne

Mac0783 · 05-03-2013 05:38PM

Hi,

You're right that's where the dancefloor is, i was a bit worried about the bar being seperate but i hope because they're so close it won't be an issue. I haven't met with Simon, we met with Jeremy, would love to hear how you get on, because while they are very nice they don't haggle, it's very hard to get anything out of them. When are you planning on getting married?

Mac0783 · 05-03-2013 05:40PM

http://photos.frankcourtney.com/Wedding-Venues-Ireland/Markree-Castle/11258669_TXjffQ/212910985_2rr9M#!i=212912756&k=kXhGu

this might help, a few pics of the place , foud this on the internet

grainuaile · 06-03-2013 01:28AM

Mac0783 wrote: »

Hi,

You're right that's where the dancefloor is, i was a bit worried about the bar being seperate but i hope because they're so close it won't be an issue. I haven't met with Simon, we met with Jeremy, would love to hear how you get on, because while they are very nice they don't haggle, it's very hard to get anything out of them. When are you planning on getting married?

oh god i just worry everyone will stay in the bar and not bother dancing, also it looks a bit small, we were hoping to have some evening invites along with the full 170 capacity for the meal ... such a shame as i am totally in love with the rest of it, the dining room is just unreal. exactly what i always wanted. we've seen a few places, Belleek, Mt Falcon & Kilronan - my fella is totally sold on kilronan and I was too until i went to Markree with my sister this morning! he'll be home at the wknd so we have an appt to meet Jeremy (i had misread my emails, simon is the receptionist!)
We're hoping for roughly this time next year but nothing definite - what about you?
PS thanks for the link, great pics.

AJS22 · 06-03-2013 09:49AM

Hi Mac & Grainne,

We are having our wedding in Markree in December 2013, I think we will have about 140 guests. Our list is at 180 and we will have the inevitable falloff of hopefully about 40.

The communication with Markree is almost impossible and you have to stay pretty calm as it can get super frustrating. I reckon that once you have the information you require and put your deposit down that they will definitely come through on the day - just getting to that stage is trying to say the least.

We were looking for our package to include Mulled Wine and Prosecco for the drinks reception which they seem completely opposed to doing. I really had to work hard to get it and they said that now they will do the mulled wine for additional €4 per person but I got this reallyu long winded email about how it would be a waste of wine etc etc, which kinda just annoys me. I just want to know how much and that's it.

There not a place for haggling whatsoever. If your happy to go with any of the packages without amendments it should be plane sailing but they have a funny way of pricing extras or amendments which doesn't really make sense.

Did you girls get quotes for B&B for guests? If so, can you let me know what they quoted you?

Having said all the above I think the place is amazing and Jeremy is a really great guy and very obliging. I think that on the day they will pull it out of the bag because that type of service is what "they do" and do it well from what I have seen and heard but the admin end and organisation is just not their forte. I get the impression that the staff are trained very well in hospitality but marketing and sales is lacking in basic infrastructure.

Mac0783 · 06-03-2013 11:33AM

We looked at Kilronan as well, it is amazing but cause we're having a small wedding they wanted to put us in the bar downstiars and i felt it was a bit dingy plus they want €1000 for hall for the civil ceremony, outrageous!!

+1 on the dining room that's what sold it to us, and i love that the dancefloor is seperate from dining room i always hate the lull during the change over from dinner to dancing at other weddings.

I think cause you're having such a big crowd there'll be people everywhere so you won't have a problem with the bar being seperate from dancefloor.

grainuaile · 06-03-2013 04:11PM

Mac0783 wrote: »

We looked at Kilronan as well, it is amazing but cause we're having a small wedding they wanted to put us in the bar downstiars and i felt it was a bit dingy plus they want €1000 for hall for the civil ceremony, outrageous!!

+1 on the dining room that's what sold it to us, and i love that the dancefloor is seperate from dining room i always hate the lull during the change over from dinner to dancing at other weddings.

I think cause you're having such a big crowd there'll be people everywhere so you won't have a problem with the bar being seperate from dancefloor.

thanks that does make me feel better re:dancefloor ... i know, couldnt get over the price of the ceremony room (palm court) in kilronan. the library is cheaper but as you say its very dull. i really want an old castle feel and i think kilronan is a bit of a sellout, i mean there are castle-y bits but your not going to be there for the wedding and the function room could be anywhere. Problem is if Himself had his way it'd be in a normal run-of-the-mill hotel like the McWilliam in Claremorris or something. So maybe kilronan will have to be our compromise!! I will lay it on thick about the price difference and hopefully that will sway him in Markree's favour!

grainuaile · 06-03-2013 04:17PM

AJS22 wrote: »

There not a place for haggling whatsoever. If your happy to go with any of the packages without amendments it should be plane sailing but they have a funny way of pricing extras or amendments which doesn't really make sense.

Did you girls get quotes for B&B for guests? If so, can you let me know what they quoted you?

Having said all the above I think the place is amazing and Jeremy is a really great guy and very obliging. I think that on the day they will pull it out of the bag because that type of service is what "they do" and do it well from what I have seen and heard but the admin end and organisation is just not their forte. I get the impression that the staff are trained very well in hospitality but marketing and sales is lacking in basic infrastructure.

I havent had any quotes yet but as soon as I do I'll let you know. Are they like Belleek in that you have to take all the rooms and if they're not used the b&g are liable for the cost?
I am totally useless at haggling which is why I hate that it seems to be expected in usual hotel rates given, but at the same time I dont want them doing me. Maybe I'll win the lotto and I wont care :P

It is a shame if the communication isnt great though as I forsee myself having many heart attacks in the run up and would be great if the staff were more reassuring. But hey I havent booked anything yet so can worry about that later

Mac0783 · 06-03-2013 04:29PM

I didn't guarantee them room numbers, cause like that i was worried that i'd be liable for any empty ones, but i did keep saying if you dont give a good rate everyone local will head home..

You will need to dig deep when trying to haggle with Markree, cause it ain't easy.

littleredspot · 06-03-2013 06:30PM

grainuaile wrote: »

oh god i just worry everyone will stay in the bar and not bother dancing.

I haven't been in Markree, but one of the most disastrous weddings I was ever at was because the bar was in a separate annex.

Clontarf castle has a beautiful room which the b&g had spent extra getting decorated to their taste. About an hour from the end (when the dancefloor should have been at its fullest) I realised I was one of the only people on the dancefloor. Looked around the room and it was nearly empty. Went for a pint instead where I found about half the crowd dancing and chatting, Then went in search of the rest of the crowd and found them outside in the smoking area which is about 100m from the main room.

grainuaile · 07-03-2013 02:14AM

littleredspot wrote: »

... went in search of the rest of the crowd and found them outside in the smoking area which is about 100m from the main room.

ah jaysis :eek: hadnt even thought about where the smoking area might be! i'll really just have to hold my horses till saturday

littleredspot, was the bar very far from the ballroom in clontarf? because in markree its not particularly far but it is definitely separate

littleredspot · 07-03-2013 02:44AM

No, the bar is right next door. It's exclusively for the function room. I suspect they don't want it lowering the tone of the main room

People were even dancing in the bar by the end of the night.

As a non smoker it never occurred to me about how important the location of the smoking area is. If it's miles away, people tend to stay for more than one, and before you know it all the craic is there. Ideally it should be directly outside the room so as people can just nip out, and at least the people that choose to stay a while are still sort of part of the event.

TAPA2012 · 08-03-2013 02:39AM

Markree smoking area is downstairs v far from the function room. I can't remb if it's heated or not!

Mac0783 · 11-03-2013 11:52AM

Downstairs out the front?

Mac0783 · 11-03-2013 11:53AM

grainuaile wrote: »

ah jaysis :eek: hadnt even thought about where the smoking area might be! i'll really just have to hold my horses till saturday

Grainuaile, how did you get on at the weekend?

TAPA2012 · 13-03-2013 03:13AM

Mac0783 wrote: »

Downstairs out the front?

yes, its a bit of a trek, alright ....

grainuaile · 20-03-2013 12:56AM

Hey all

Sorry for the delayed update

Well Himself loved Markree too and I think we're going to go for it - although not booked yet
Re: the bar/dancefloor issue, because both are so small i think it will be ok. the dancefloor is not going to look bare because the die-hard dancers (we have a few of those!) will be there anyway and the drinkers wouldn't be dancing anyway. Because the rooms are so close the music will still be heard throughout so those in the bar won't feel left out or cut off. Himself being a smoker, he reckons the colder and more inconvenient the smoking area the better, as people wont be inclined to stay in the smoking area. I'm going to take his word for it. They quoted us €120 for the guest rooms, which is not cheap but not outrageous, and if anyone wants to stay the night before too then they'll give us a better rate. They also offered a 5%discount on the meal price for over 145 guests without me asking for it which was good.
I had to question the deposit amount as €3000 is just not in my hand at the moment but they were very decent and said €1000 will secure the date and the rest to be paid within 6 months. At the end of the day its less to pay on the day of so its all good.
Meeting with the registrar next week hopefully so then its all systems go!
Getting really excited now:D

Wedding venue - Markree castle Sligo

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