Killashee Hotel versus The Lyrath Kilkenny

We are getting married late next year and are considering having our wedding reception in either Killashee House Hotel or The Lyrath Hotel in Kilkenny. I would really appreciate any feedback people may have regarding either of these hotels. I have heard mixed reviews about the Lyrath and im a little concerned with the layout of the Thompson suite in Killashee given that the dancefloor is sectioned off from the rest of the function room

Re. Killashee have no fear about the layout because there is a bar & toilets beside the dance floor in the Thompson Suite, trust me most people will stay down in that section! The staff put a couple of tables to the far side of the dancefloor for weary dancers to take a break. Having the dinner tables separate is a good thing, the older generation at our wedding were glad to sit up away from the loud music at times And when they serve the afters up there it means there is no queue snaking out onto the dancefloor in dancers way, it works out really well. I would imagine there's a big price difference between Lyrath & Killashee, isn't Lyrath a 5 star hotel?

I have not been to a wedding in Lyrath but I have attended an award ceremony there. I find the function room is huge which is great for corporate events but not sure how well it works for a wedding. Obviously lots of people love it as I'm sure there are weddings there most weekends. I think the rest of the old house in Lyrath is stunning but the function room is what put me off having ours there.

Because of the time of year we are getting married and the fact we are expect approx 200 people to attend, the Lyrath are willing to give us 30 people free. As a result of this the price of both hotels is working out very similar. If this was not the case though then im sure Killashee would be better value. im going to have a look at both hotels again this weekend and hopefully make my mind up at this point

I've never attended a wedding at the Lyrath but have stayed there numerous times and it's one of the favourites - the food, the spa, grounds...all lovely I have been to about 6 weddings in Killashee though!! It's a lovely place also but one thing I would remind you of is that they have a two weddings policy on any given day which means you might not be the only wedding at the hotel and while the weddings are in separate sections, there is always the inevitable overlap with guests. We're from the area but didn't consider it as a venue as the two weddings thing turned us right off. That being said, if it wasn't an issue for you then it's a beautiful venue.