Blackwater - Ballyhooly Castle, Ireland
The castle offers exclusive and private access to five miles of fishing on the Blackwater, undoubtedly Ireland’s premier salmon river and one of the major salmon rivers in western Europe.
Ballyhooly Castle provides a base from which to fish some of the best water available in Ireland.
Running seventy miles in length, the Blackwater rises in Kerry, flowing to the sea at Youghal in County Cork on the south coast of Ireland. With a wide catchment area and many tributaries, combined with the mild temperate climate, the river maintains a very steady height of water, making fishing possible even in dry conditions. Wading is considered relatively easy with a bed consisting almost entirely of shingle.
Excellent fishing is available throughout the season with a spring run from March ensuring fish in the river system at the start of the season, an impressive grilse run in the summer and followed by an autumn run from around the middle of September, depending slightly more on water conditions.
Accommodation
Ideally located one hour north of Cork airport, ninety minutes from Shannon and only three hours from the ferry port of Rosslare, it is easily accessible.
With the fishing comes the house, built beside the mediaeval castle in the 1920s and very recently refurbished. An extremely comfortable family home, it offers accommodation comprising four double and two single rooms, four bathrooms and dining, drawing and rod rooms. Three staff cater to your every whim with Elizabeth Bracken overseeing all domestic arrangements. Let on a weekly basis, Ballyhooly and the Blackwater encapsulate the unique opportunity to fish Ireland’s most famous salmon river whilst being looked after in tremendous style both on the river and in the house.
