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Ballykealey Manor Hotel
Wedding Venue
Ballykealey Manor Hotel
Ballykealey Estate
Carlow
County Carlow
Ireland
tel:- 00353 59 9159288 9159292
fax:- 00353 59 9159297
web address:- www.ballykealeymanorhotel.com
e-mail:- weddings@ballykealeymanorhotel.com
Ballykealey Manor Hotel :-
Early booking for weddings is recommended as this hotel is rated No1 on TripAdvisor and is very popular for wedding receptions & photographs
Venue type Hotel: Venue type - Hotel
Venue type Sporting Venue: Venue type - Sporting Venue
Number of function rooms available for weddings: 2
Function room names and capacities: The Manor Ballroom- 250pax
The Oak Room- 45pax
Guests rooms available: 12 Rooms 15 Lodges
Honeymoon suite available: Yes
Garden suitable for marquees: Yes
Choice of wedding breakfast menus Yes
Alcohol License Yes
Dedicated wedding planner available Yes
Licensed for Civil Ceremonies Yes
Dance Floor Yes
Evening Reception Facilities Yes
Car Parking Facilities Yes
Tables chairs linens and tableware included
Entertainment is available: Can provide suggestions for entertainment
Gardens or outside locations suitable for wedding photography: Yes veiwable on our website
Suitable locations inside the venue for wedding photography: Yes veiwable on our website
Local picturesque areas suitable for wedding photography: Altamont Gardens - 5 mins drive
Venue History: A Little Bit of History.
Welcome to Ballykealey Manor, the seat of the Lecky Family. In 1649 Oliver Cromwell is reported to have given a substantial tract of land in the Barony of Forth, inclusive of Ballon and Ballykealey to the Leckys for services rendered. It remained in Lecky ownership until 1953 when Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Beauchamp Lecky sold both the house and the remaining 300 acres to the Patrician Brothers, thus ending three centuries of ownership by the Lecky Family.
The Lecky's were a military family, generation after generation having fought and died with distinction in all the major wars including the First and Second World Wars. The Lecky military men and women, together with their spouses are buried in the family cemetery, in use since the Oliver Cromwell period. It is situated on the brow of the hill, to the right of the driveway as you leave Ballykealey Manor. In fact, when in 1957 Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Beauchamp Lecky, a World War 11 Hero went missing, a report in the Daily Mail stated that the lands at Ballykealey were searched. It was thought that he may be lying dead beside the tombstones of his ancestors. However, the mystery of his disappearance was never solved; he was never found.
In 1830, John James Lecky made a proposal of marriage to the lovely Sarah Lucia Smith. Before the marriage could take place, Mr. John Smith of Balby, Yorkshire, the wealthy father of the bride-to-be, insisted that plans be drawn up for a palatial new home for his only daughter and that her dowry be used to finance the building costs. Thomas A. Cobden, the Carlovian architect, was commissioned to design a house suitable for the young couple. The new house, in Gothic-Tudor Style replaced the old buildings, which had been the seat of the Leckys for two generations. Rising majestically from the lush green parklands and approached by a long winding driveway, the new Ballykealey Manor with its Tudor Chimney Stacks, Battlement Pinnacles, Slender Angles and Gothic Arches of Granite, was definitely a sight to behold and indeed one of which the Smith Family was very proud.
Today, over a century and a half later, very little has changed in this remarkable house. In the Famine years the lake, which is to the left of the house was added to the estate. In an effort to afford dignity to the local people during the famine years, the then Lord of the Manor ordered that a wall be built around the estate and a lake be dug to provide employment. The new Ballykealey Manor certainly enhanced the reputation of Thomas A. Cobden who subsequently received numerous important commissions, notably Carlow Cathedral. Having retained most of its Architectural Splendour, Ballykealey Manor is as elegant and strikingly beautiful as it was in the 1830's.
Semper Paratus virtus post funera vivit
Always Prepared, Virtue endures beyond the grave
Wedding Trivia:
The groom's flower, worn on his lapel, usually matches one of the flowers in his bride's bouquet. This tradition goes back to medieval times when knights wore the colors of their lady in tournaments.
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