Blackwater Castle, North Co.Cork

Blackwater Castle, North Co.Cork

Handfasting, an ancient Celtic tradition

Gardens beyond the Stone Wall

Lawns beside the Castle & Mansion House

Photography:  Sharon Quigley

Your Idyllic Irish Castle Wedding

If you are searching for a private hire of a luxury romantic medieval Irish Castle & Mansion House, with all the olde world charm you could imagine, a convenient distance from Cork City and International Airport, you can’t go past Blackwater Castle located just outside the village of Castletownroche, in North County Cork. 

One of Co.Cork’s most sought-after destination wedding venues, now re-opened for 2024, Blackwater Castle is is located 60km from Cork Airport (50 mins), and a short distance from the Cork to Dublin motorway.

It’s stunning cliff-top location overlooking the River Blackwater, with meticulous gardens, lawn areas with private woodland backdrops offers a breath-taking selection of outdoor choices for your ceremony and picturesque photo opportunities too numerous to mention!

If an indoor ceremony is more your liking, (or as weather dictates) there are several choices for a glamourous indoor ceremony, with all rooms in the mansion house classically decorated and filled with natural sunlight, with beautiful panoramic views of garden beyond.

The original tower house adjoining the castle mansion house is home to a genuine sheela-na-gig stone, which in mythical Irish folklore is a well-known fertility token.   Where it was once believed that a maiden who touches the sheela-na-gig and makes a wish, will fall with child soon after!

There is also access to the tower house roof for stunning photographs, on request.

The castle’s flexible approach allows couples to place their own stamp on their big day.   Management will do theif utmost to fulfil your wedding wishes, ensuring your perfect day, your way.

Accommodation

With 9 bedrooms, 6 reception rooms including bar, professional kitchen, plus additional accomodation in the extensive fully converted stables housing up to approx. 100 guests, makes a perfect self-contained setting for your idyllic romantic castle wedding getaway.  

Entertaining your Guests on your Wedding Day

Blackwater Castle welcomes all musicians and suppliers that you wish to include for your special day, and offer bucketloads of friendly advice and guidance for every aspect of your wedding day.

Post Wedding Party

The whole castle and accommodation is available for exclusive hire and can be booked for several days before and after your wedding with various packages on offer.

Contact Blackwater Castle at any time to make an appointment for a chat and viewing, you’ll be so glad you did!

Website: https://blackwatercastle.ie

Sharon Q.

Celebrant / Registered Solemniser of Marriages

Yoga Alliance RYT200 Registered Yoga & Meditation teacher, Community Volunteer, Musician, Earth Spiritualist Interfaith Minister, Visionary & Creator of dreams.

Tel: +353 (0) 858 313 43

Modern Couples Getting Married in Ireland are Now Choosing a Holistic Minister to Marry Them and Here’s Why!

Modern Couples Getting Married in Ireland are Now Choosing a Holistic Minister to Marry Them and Here’s Why!

Interfaith Ministers are celebrants supercharged and are the latest must-have for modern couples getting married in Ireland.   This is because an Interfaith Ministry is sweeping the world for its inclusive philosophy which welcomes people from all walks of life without discrimination or dogma, and Ireland is no exception. 

The Interfaith Minister is a modern spiritual teacher who has completed extensive studies in the areas of spirituality, world religions, human culture over many years.  This means that their skills and experience as authentic practitioners of the art of ceremony are impeccable.   The inclusive and interfaith philosophy which Interfaith Ministers abide by means they welcome people from all walks of life, without discrimination, 

So it’s thefore no surprise that Interfaith Ministers are now the celebrant of choice for modern couples in Ireland who believe that a unique & personalised legal marriage ceremony should be one of the most important parts of their special day.

Interfaith Ministers, like many Universalist organisations are not required to wear vestments or robes unless they wish to do so for special cultural celebrations or VIP occasions.  They may wear an interfaith stole for their ceremonial duties but only if requested to do so by the couple or the family.

The non-denominational ceremonies created & conducted by Interfaith Ministers are designed to suit the unique requirements of each couple regardless of their belief in spirituality, religion or not.  This makes a marriage ceremony conducted by an Interfaith Minister truly charming and special no matter if its a shorter or longer ceremony, because each ceremony is designed to suit the unique ceremony style and requirements of the couple.

For couples who would like a unique & personalised, meaningful and special wedding ceremony in Ireland, the modern Interfaith Minister really is the Rolls Royce of ceremony celebrants. 

It is well known by those who have experienced one of the beautiful ceremonies led by Interfaith Ministers that the beautiful ceremonies they create & conduct are some of the most unique & special wedding ceremonies in the world.;  The ceremony certainly has an added air of unique graciousness, which really adds to the importance of the occasion even for a truly non-religious humanist style wedding ceremony..

Because of their genuine desire to help others throughout their life, Interfaith Ministers are generally those who hail from the caring, teaching, natural therapies or even formal ministry professions who felt a calling to further study in the area of spirituality and human culture in order to fulfill their wish to serve the community..

Due to the inclusive and interfaith philosophy of the interfaith body they are affiliated with, an Interfaith Minister is able to conduct unique ceremonies of any secular,, spiritual or religious style or any mixture of anything in between to suit the couples requirements.  This means Interfaith Ministers really can provide couples getting married in Ireland with the most flexibility for their ceremony design options and also with the locations they can be married at. 

It comes as no surprise that so many modern couples in Ireland are now choosing an Interfaith Minister to marry them with a beautiful unique & personalised ceremony designed to suit their own wishes and unique ceremony style, a ceremony which is also meaningful & special and among the best in the world.

Intefaith Ministers are most widely known for their beautiful and meaningful spiritual ceremonies but the inclusive philosophy they abide by means they are equally at home conducting secular and non-religous ceremonies for people from all walks of life.

What About the Legal Bits?

Interfaith Ministers are also HSE registered solemnisers and duly authorised to solemnise marriages in Ireland.

What this means for you is that with an Interfaith Minister as your ceremony officiant and celebrant your beautiful wedding ceremony will also be fully legal on the day if that’s what you want.

What Does it Cost ?

Costs vary between Ministers as some charge for travel and some don’t.  There is no extra cost for a legal marriage ceremony,, it will be the same cost as a non-legal ceremony.  

My own costs depend on time taken, and start at €295 for a micro-wedding of up to 10 people in total within 5kms of Cork City centre.  This is a much simpler ceremony as no PA system is needed so the amount of time spent on the day and preparations the night before are greatly reduced.  Average cost within 25kms of Cork City is €495 depending on the venue and what options are chosen.  For ceremonies conducted over 25kms from Cork City and beyond the average price is €595.  For this you can expect a unique & fully personalised ceremony and around 30 hours of time spent to provide you with a VIP ceremony experience.  A ceremony rehearsal the night before of up to 2 hours is €100.  There are other options for a simple and straightforward ceremony.  Please take these estimates as a guide only, – for an accurate quotation to suit your needs please get in touch for a quick chat to determine your exact requirements.

There are others who are charging a lot more, but please keep in mind that they may have more costs to cover including child care, that I don’t have to consider.

* All prices are current as of 1st July 2020 and are subject to change.

If you’d like to know more about the legal requirements for getting married in Ireland, please see the Legal Info page.

Marriage During Pandemic Restricted Periods

The value of Interfaith Ministers has become increasingly widespread for couples wishing to be married during pandemic lockdown restrictions.  This is because Interfaith Ministers are able to travel unrestricted to conduct a legal marriage throughout Ireland as Religious personnel and essential workers, where other marriage solemnisers who are not Religious personnel may not be permitted to travel during stricter lockdown restrictions.

Interfaith Ministers also have access to a many more venues for legal marriage during strict lockdown at times when hotels and other wedding venues may be closed to the public.  So if there are strick pandemic lockdown restrictions in place and your solemniser is unable to marry you, and you still want to be legally married if you already have your Green Folder, all you need is an Interfaith Minister and your two witnesses. 

The Interfaith Minister, like other Religous solemnisers, will have access to a number of additional venues which can be used for the purpose of legal marriage when hotels and other venues are closed due to pandemic restrictions.  You may wish to obtain permission for a ceremony during strict lockdown restrictions but your Interfaith Minister will be able to best advise you of any technicalities.

For information regarding the ceremonies conducted by an Interfaith Minister you should consult them directly as there is a minefield of wrong information being propagated online regarding the ceremonies conducted by Interfaith Ministers.

Peace of Mind

All Interfaith Ministers belong to a body with strict quality standards and a community of like-minded people working to support the community.  This is your guarantee of peace of mind that if the unexpected should happen, no matter what the circumstances you will have the benefit of a backup Interfaith Minister of equal calibre and kindness at no extra cost to you if your chosen Minister is not available due to unforeseen circumstances.

How to Find an Interfaith Minister

Many don’t have websites or social media presence because they are well known in their local communities through their ministry work..  This is where Google can be your friend.  You can search for “Intefaith Minister Dublin” or “Interfaith Minister Cork” or “Interfaith Minister Killarney” or what ever area you would like to be married, and you will find some..  Or ask your nearest holistic natural therapist for advice, because you just never know – they be an Interfaith Minister.

I create & officiate beautiful unique & fully personalised ceremonies to celebrate all of life’s special milestones for people from all walks of life.  I can create a ceremony for any occasion worthy of celebrating..

No matter if you would like a plain and simple ceremony, meaningful and special but without any fuss – or that fairytale ceremony with all the enchantment and magic,   I will work with you to help you to discover your unique ceremony style, and create the unique & very special ceremony of your dreams. 

Please feel free to browse my website for more information about the work I do, and of course please don’t hesitate to call me for a chat, and to see if I am available on your big day.  I would be honoured to work with you..

Rev Sharon Q.

Interfaith Minister, Modern Spiritual Teacher, Professional Musician, Registered Natural Therapist, Yoga & Meditation teacher, Community kindness volunteer, Visionary & creator of dreams.

Tel: 085 831 3437

Innishannon House Hotel, Co.Cork

Innishannon House Hotel, Co.Cork

If you are searching for a luxury country riverside mansion house hotel with olde world charm within a stone’s throw of Cork City, you can’t go past Innishannon House Hotel.  One of Co.Cork’s popular wedding venue destinations, the hotel is located 19km from Cork Airport (15 mins), 12 km (17 mins) from world famous Kinsale and 8km (10 Mins) from Bandon.

It’s river location with stunning gardens, offers a breath-taking selection of outdoor choices for your ceremony and picturesque photo opportunities too numerous to mention!

If an indoor ceremony is more your liking, (or as weather dictates) the classically decorated River Suite is filled with natural sunlight and has beautiful panoramic views of The Rose Garden and the Bandon River.

The River Suite comfortably seats 200 people for dinner with an additional 120 guests for afters. The hotel’s flexible approach allows couples to place their own stamp on their big day. Staff will do theif utmost to fulfil your wedding wishes, ensuring your perfect day, your way.

Centrepieces in the form of storm lamps, oriental lillies in tall vases and flowers from the garden are provided for your wedding meal as standard.

Smaller Weddings are hosted in The Frankfort Suite (max: 30 Adults) or The Garden Room (max: 28 Adults).

Given our unpredictable Irish weather, we know that you want to make the very most of a fine summer’s day! French doors open to a terrace so that your guests can soak up the sunshine. There is plenty of outdoor seating directly off the Frankfort Suite, so that your Welcome Reception Drinks can be moved outdoors when the sun shines! If you choose to have a musician, they may like to play in the Frankfort Suite where the Welcome Reception is, or they may like to move out to the terrace if the weather is fine.

Accommodation

All 23 ensuite bedrooms are automatically reserved on the night of your wedding. The Bridal Suite is complimentary on your wedding night (terms and conditions apply). There is a combination of double rooms, twin rooms and family rooms. The Bride and Groom are responsible for allocating all bedrooms to guests in advance of the wedding.

Accommodation in the days before and after your wedding can also be booked by guests and this is subject to availability.

There are a host of nearby  B and Bs and Hotels that can accommodate your guests when all rooms in Innishannon House are taken. Taxis for guests can be organised at the hotel reception.

Entertaining your Guests on your Wedding Day

We welcome all musicians and extras that you wish to include for your special day, including Candy Carts, lemonade stands and lawn games. Margaret Roche, Owner and Wedding Director will happily offer advice and guidance for every aspect of your wedding day.

During the Welcome Reception, musicians may wish to play outdoors on the terrace while guests soak up the sunshine!

Post Wedding Party

A Post Wedding Brunch, Party or BBQ can be hosted the next day and is subject to availability. After your Post Wedding party, relax in The Whiskey Snug for intimate post wedding Drinks! or party the night away in The Innish Bar.

Contact the hotel at any time to make an appointment with their wedding co-ordinator, you’ll be so glad you did!

Website: https://innishannonhousehotel.ie/

Sharon Q.

Ceremony Officiant / Registered Solemniser of Marriages

SHAI Registered Sound Therapist, Yoga Alliance RYT200 Registered Yoga & Meditation teacher, MBII Registered Positive Mind Coach, Community Volunteer, Musician, Visionary, Creator of dreams = Earth Spiritualist Interfaith Minister

Tel: +353 (0) 858 313 43