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Getting Married at Castle Leslie: Your Complete Photography Guide
The majestic Castle Leslie, based in Monaghan. Ancient woodland, a private lake, the pale blue boathouse, hand-painted arched walkways, and the kind of interior that stops people in their tracks.
June 2025 · Annette Burke
Castle Leslie Estate is approximately one hour from Belfast and about eighty minutes from Dublin, sitting in the rolling countryside of Glaslough, Co. Monaghan. It is one of Ireland's last great Anglo-Irish estates. Paul McCartney married here in 2002. That is the kind of place it is.
The castle interior.
Walk through the main entrance doors and the light in the hallway is immediate. The sweeping staircase is one of the best portrait locations on the entire property. What I always come back to are the arched walkways with their hand-painted murals. Place a couple walking through one of those arches and you have a shot that exists nowhere else in Ireland.
The library at Castle Leslie. Every room tells a different story.
The lake and the boathouse.
Walk out of the back courtyard, turn left, and head down towards the water. The jetty, the lakeside path and the boathouse are where most couples go for their outdoor portraits, and rightly so. These are the shots that make a Castle Leslie wedding look unlike anything else. Allow proper time for this walk. It is worth every minute.
The back courtyard and stone archways.
Coming out of the marquee you reach the back courtyard with its beautiful stone archways. Looking down toward the lough from here is stunning. The stone archways are one of the best spots for group photographs. They provide natural framing, a beautiful backdrop, and shelter if the weather turns.
The stables.
The Castle Leslie stables are on the grounds. If you love horses, the castle can arrange for one of the estate horses to be brought up. It needs to be arranged in advance, but if horses are part of your world, ask. It creates something no other venue can give you.
Why couples choose Castle Leslie.
It is absolute opulence. The horses, the water, the arched walkways. The lake, the staircase, the rooms that feel like a different century. After years of coming here I still feel something when I drive through the gates and the estate opens up in front of me.
If you are getting married at Castle Leslie, I cannot wait to hear about your day. I know this venue well. I know where the light falls, what time of year is most beautiful, and exactly what your photographs could look like.
