cbrandan,

Welcome to my forum. I hope that you will use it to plan your trip for next summer. Obviously you have a lot of time for planning and that is a good thing.

The first castle that came to mind that meets your requirements is Smarmore Castle. It is more a B&B than a hotel and is family run. I've stayed there myself and enjoyed it immensely. Take a look and see what you think. They also offer my readers a discount. I have links to all the castle hotels in Ireland on this page: http://irelandyes.com/castles.html

Michele