Dunowen House

About

Dunowen House is a restored historic estate on four acres of dramatic West Cork coastline along the Wild Atlantic Way. Vows are said beneath a 200-year-old sycamore with the Atlantic in view, then everyone gathers in the walled garden or the drawing room. The whole property is yours alone, with nine bedrooms sleeping up to 20 and room for up to 30 guests. Hosts Kela and Stephen look after every celebration personally. All the food is cooked on site using homegrown and local West Cork ingredients. It suits couples who want privacy, laid-back luxury and the Irish coast on the doorstep.

Dunowen suits weddings small enough to feel like a long lunch with your favourite people. The estate takes up to 30 guests for the celebration, and with nine bedrooms split between the main house and Orchard Cottage in the walled garden, up to 20 of them can stay over. The house is never let by the night or by the room, so the grounds, the house and the cottage belong to your group alone for the whole booking.

Vows happen beneath the old sycamore in the garden, then drinks move onto the landscaped terrace or, if the Atlantic weather has other plans, into the drawing room. At the bottom of the lane there is a small cove that makes a quiet place for portraits away from everyone. The website does not cover the legal side, so ask the hosts how couples usually arrange the solemniser and paperwork for an Irish wedding here.

All the cooking is done on site, with menus shaped around you and plenty of vegetarian and vegan choice. The private catering covers everything from sit-down dinners to grazing platters, family-style meals and picnics, and cake is something of a house speciality. The building itself dates from 1771 and has a colourful past: Noel Redding, bass player with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, lived here for more than 30 years, and posters and memorabilia from that era still hang around the rooms. Kela and Stephen Hodgins have been looking after the place since 2013 and are your hosts.

Dunowen sits on the Wild Atlantic Way about ten minutes' drive from Clonakilty, with coves and beaches close enough for guests to walk to the sea, and it is a member of Ireland's Blue Book collection. The honest caveat is scale: with room for 30 at most and beds for 20, this works for elopements and very small weddings, and anyone outside the core group will need to stay in Clonakilty or nearby.

What makes it special

• Ceremony beneath a 200-year-old sycamore tree with dramatic Atlantic Ocean coastal backdrop
• Entire exclusive-use coastal estate sleeping up to 20 guests — completely private, no other visitors
• In-house catering using homegrown and local West Cork ingredients, prepared by the hosts themselves

Features

Venue style