AFTERNOON TEA - 10 OF THE BEST

Spring brings plenty of reasons to get out and about – and there’s cause for celebration too, with Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Easter all presenting very good reasons to give in to temptation. And – especially appealing as it’s a weather proof option – Afternoon Tea can provide a perfect excuse for a relaxing get together. It’s become one of the nation’s favourite outings in recent years, with desirable destinations all over the country offering memorable experiences to delight all age groups – and these are just a few of the best to get you thinking…  

Vintage Tea Trips
Dublin

Afternoon tea with a difference is the promise from Vintage Tea Trips, where Karen Nixon and her team invite guests to take a step back in time and experience what they (quite rightly) describe as Dublin’s most unique city sightseeing tour. Hop on board one of their fully restored 1960s vintage Routemaster double decker buses and “be transported back in time where social media was non-existent and chats over tea reigned supreme.” While enjoying a semi-guided tour, you’ll be served the full traditional afternoon tea spread (freshly made sandwiches, warm fruit scones with all the trimmings, delectable desserts…) along with great conversation and some great toe-tapping tunes. Just the job for friends, family and visitors to the city, it’s a real one off. Tours start at St Stephen’s Green and take about 70-80 minutes, price €55 per adult (VIP top front seats €59.50) with varying prices for children, students etc. Further info & bookings here: https://www.vintageteatrips.ie/ For same day bookings: call 01 255 1777.

The Merrion
Dublin

Still unrivalled for many as Dublin’s most gracious 5 star hotel, The Merrion’s famous Art Tea is a traditional treat that would be hard to beat. Boasting ‘an art collection that is good enough to eat’, The Merrion’s Art Tea invites you to “treat yourself to a slice of 19th- or 20th-century art served on fine china with miniature sweet creations inspired by the work of J.B Yeats, William Scott, Louis Le Brocquy and others” – and, served in the gracious surroundings of The Merrion’s Drawing Rooms, it’s billed as “the most lavish afternoon tea in Dublin”. Browse through a complimentary copy of The Merrion art collection catalogue while sampling delectable treats (with teas and coffees selected by the hotel’s in-house tea masters and barista), happy in the knowledge that menus can be tailored to meet dietary needs, with gluten free and vegan Afternoon Tea both available. Reservations available daily (12.30pm, 1pm, 3.30pm and 4pm); price €75 per person, or €95 with a glass of champagne. Vouchers are also available. Online bookings.

Hayfield Manor
Cork

The original property of the family-owned Scally Hotel Collection (Cork, Killarney and now also Dublin) Hayfield Manor Hotel is uniquely positioned as a country manor in the city, with a country house ambience that belies its location beside University College Cork and easy access to the bright lights of the city centre. A favourite destination for discerning Corkonians, it’s quite the spot for a range of dining experiences and offers an especially relaxing old-world Afternoon Tea with all the trimmings in the fine dining Orchids Restaurant – and, as well as being luxurious, Executive Head Chef Mark Staples also wants it to offer guests ‘a delightful journey through the flavours of our region’. You can see the current menu (including a gluten free option) online and pre-booking is essential, along with notice of any dietary requirements. Priced from €55 per guest, a Champagne Afternoon Tea is also offered from c.€70). Served Thu-Sun from 1pm (4 sittings); vouchers also available.

Butler House
Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny

How lucky are the people of Kilkenny to have the wonderfully historic Butler House in their midst – and, if an excuse to head to the Marble City is needed, a stay, or just a meal, here could well be it. With its ornate plaster ceilings, marble fireplaces and a view over the walled garden to Kilkenny Castle beyond, dining in these Georgian surroundings is a unique experience and daytime menus (including the Butler House Cream Tea of scones with cream and jam) are offered in the Garden View Room from 11am daily, while Tea Rooms in the Lady Eleanor Room opens from 12-3pm. Currently celebrating 240 years, the elegant surroundings of the Lady Eleanor Room with its large bow windows and works of Irish art from the Basil Goulding Collection provide a delightful setting to enjoy the traditional Butler House Afternoon Tea experience with all its little rituals. Available by reservation (1pm-3pm; €45 per person, plus €12 with a glass of Prosecco), special treats to consider include Mothers Day Afternoon Tea (various dates) and Private Afternoon Tea (min 15 guests); for details call 086 145 2928 or email: events@butler.ie.

Ashford Castle
Cong, Co Mayo

What they don’t know about luxury at Ashford Castle probably isn’t worth knowing and it’s safe to say that its cachet as a special occasion destination is unrivalled. A stay here may be out of reach for many of us these days (unless perhaps in winter – which can be extremely agreeable) but a more accessible pleasure is Afternoon Tea in The Connaught Room. Previously designated a very special fine dining room, with the larger George V being the main restaurant, this beautiful room has wonderful views over the formal gardens and Lough Corrib, and is a truly special setting for Afternoon Tea - a ritual which, it is said, has been preserved at Ashford Castle since 1868, and an original silver tea set presented to Lord and Lady Ardilaun to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in 1896 is displayed here. And, aside from the unique setting, Ashford Castle has another secret weapon in its superb staff – including one of Ireland’s most celebrated pastry chefs, Paula Stakelum, now Director of Chocolate and Patisserie. So you are in very exceptional hands indeed when taking Afternoon Tea at Ashford Castle – and the same can be said at The Lodge at Ashford Castle, next door, where Tara Louise Lyons (formerly Pastry Chef de Partie at Ashford Castle) leads the pastry team. Afternoon Tea in The Connaught Room: from €78 per person; 15% service charge; reservations essential.

Cashel Palace
Cashel, Co Tipperary

Down at the wonderfully restored Cashel Palace in Co Tipperary, meanwhile, they have a young star in the making in the person of Elizabeth Dunphy, who was the 2025 winner of the inaugural Euro-Toques Rising Pastry Chef of the Year, a new competition presented by La Rousse Foods and announced alongside the long established Young Chef of the Year (won on that occasion by David Harte of The Sea Rooms at Kelly’s of Rosslare). So, plenty going on for Elizabeth and her team mates in The Bishop’s Buttery fine dining restaurant at Cashel Palace, and also at the elegant Queen Anne Room where lunch and Afternoon Tea are served. Overlooking the gardens, it’s light-filled and atmospheric, with chandeliers and gilt-framed mirrors providing a lovely setting for a glamorous and beautifully presented Afternoon Tea offering all the delicious pastries, savouries and cakes that are de rigueur at this ritualistic treat. Served every day from 1pm-4pm, Afternoon Tea is priced from c.€50 per person (plus service), and bookings can be made for 1pm or 3pm, Monday to Sunday. Reservation can be made online, or phone 062 62002.

No. 1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa
Limerick, Co Limerick

Patricia Roberts’s luxurious boutique hotel is a stunningly restored property occupying a large corner site on Limerick’s most gracious Georgian square - overlooking the leafy People’s Park and only a minute’s stroll away from the City Art Gallery. It is an unusual and rewarding hotel to visit, with a well earned reputation for good food with a local flavour and – unusually – a big emphasis on Afternoon Tea beside the fire, with a range of options offered. La Maison Pery offers a classic afternoon tea selection of sweet and savoury items with Cahill’s tea, herbal blends or coffee, for example, while The No. 1 Sparkling includes a glass of La Riva Dei Fratti Prosecco and The No. 1 Champagne and The Georgian Roses includes (€55pp) features their house Champagne their Georgian Rose cocktail. Then there’s The No. 1 Gentlemen’s which includes a craft beer or cider - a good idea as afternoon tea menus so often assume a female clientèle – and a Prince & Princess option for kids, with hot chocolate or freshly squeezed orange juice What they have in common, aside from the atmospheric surroundings and lovely service, is delicious food and very fair pricing. Weekends, from 1pm; also groups of 10+ midweek. Menus from €39pp (from €45pp with extra drinks; children €19pp). Call 061 402 402 for reservations

The Old Inn
Crawfordburn Co Down

The pretty village setting of this famous and hospitable 16th century inn - the oldest in continuous use in all Ireland - belies its convenient location close to Belfast and the City Airport, and also the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum and the Royal Belfast Golf Club which are both nearby. Oak beams, antiques, gas lighting and open fires emphasise the natural character of the building and it has a great local following of regulars who love the atmosphere and friendly staff. Also, like its sister hotels in the Galgorm Collection, The Old Inn has a well deserved reputation for good food, including its own unique afternoon tea experience, which is available every day from 12 noon. A classic Afternoon Tea is offered, with variations, and special seasonal treats such as a Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea and Movie, are often offered too. Afternoon Tea is available by reservation Mon-Sun 12-5pm, priced from £36.50. Cocktail Afternoon Tea £49.50, Champagne Afternoon Tea £52.59. Requested special dietary requirements, including vegetarian/vegan, when booking. See website for menus and current offers, including Mother’s Day, Easter etc.

Wineport Lodge
Glasson Co Westmeath

Ray Byrne and Jane English’s lovely lakeside lodge styles itself ‘Ireland’s first wine hotel’ and, although it is not an hotel but a four star guesthouse, the accommodation - which now offers over thirty beautiful rooms, a hot tub and treatment rooms - is nothing less than stunning. But Wineport Lodge began life as a restaurant, and faithful fans continue to beat a path to the door at the slightest excuse, to be treated to a fine meal, served with warmth and professionalism in the lovely contemporary restaurant, or the Grapevine Bar which has become a favourite place for locals to enjoy an informal meal and makes a perfect journey break - and what a setting! A gorgeous Afternoon Tea is also available by reservation (1pm-3.30pm, from c.€35 with an option to add a glass of regular or non-alcoholic Prosecco). For further information on the current menu and to book see Wineport website 

Park Hotel Kenmare
Kenmare, Co Kerry

Travellers from all over the world have found a home from home here since the hotel was built in 1897, by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company, as an overnight stop for passengers travelling to Parknasilla, 17 miles away. And today, even the most jaded traveller would have to agree that a stay at this renowned hotel is always a treat. Aside from the very special location (in the town, yet with river and mountain views), the exceptional standards of service, comfort and cuisine are its main USPs - a tradition proudly upheld by current owners Bryan and Tara Meehan, who took over this historic property in 2023 and immediately gave it a fresh new look by replacing the traditional paintings with striking modern artwork. This has become a major USP for the hotel, with daily art tours offered and also a book Art in the Park, but good food has always been a huge draw and, as well as delicious dinners (refined but un-showy) in the lovely Landline restaurant, chef James O’Sullivan and his team regularly create other temptations including a special Easter Afternoon Tea and one-off treats such as Mother’s Day lunch. Afternoon Tea from 2.30pm at weekends; visit www.parkkenmare.com or call 064 6641200 for further information and to book.