Popular history weekend returns to top Mayo hotel destination
Ashford Castle is continuing its popular History Weekend with a fresh lineup of talks for 2026 featuring well-known writers, broadcasters and historians, including Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Turtle Bunbury, Myles Dungan, Robbyn Swan and Flor MacCarthy.
Taking place on November 13 and 14, this year’s history weekend will focus on “America through the centuries” in a nod to the United States’ 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Over two days, guests will enjoy lively discussions and talks covering key historic moments, pivotal players, and how the country’s past has shaped modern-day America.
In partnership with Pegasus Media, each talk will take place in the Ashford Castle’s private cinema, with a jam-packed schedule that includes:
Turtle Bunbury hosting a talk on ‘Sons of Liberty: Ireland and the American Revolution’, exploring how Irish and Scots Irish migrants helped turn a colonial protest into a successful war of independence and, later, a federal republic. The talk will feature presidents, signatories, soldiers, sailors, spies, merchants and Native go betweens, all with Irish roots, who shaped the new ‘United States of America.’
Dr. Myles Dungan will celebrate ‘The Golden Age of American Investigative Journalism’ which will investigate the second of the ‘twin peaks’ of American investigative reporting (the first was the ‘muckraking’ era of the early 20th century) when ‘holding truth to power’ was of paramount importance. The talk will focus on the key journalistic moments of the 1950s to 1970s.
Robbyn Swan will discuss ‘Prisoners of Rambo: The Legacy of Vietnam and the Rise of MAGA’, examining how the trauma of the Vietnam War fuelled conspiracy thinking, patriotic symbolism, and distrust in government. The talk will also explore how Hollywood films such as Rambo: First Blood Part II shaped public beliefs and how these ideas continue to influence modern American politics and the rise of MAGA culture.
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter will host ‘The Vanishing Irish: Emigration and Modern Irish History’, analysing Irish emigration, its historical roots in the Famine, and its impact on social, economic, and cultural life. The talk will also explore the "vanishing" of populations from various parts of Ireland and the long-term impact of emigration to the US.
Flor MacCarthy will host ‘The Kennedy Letters’: a deeper look at the correspondence and photos surrounding the visits to Ireland of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy and their children John and Caroline. This talk also includes details from the 33 letters written by Jacqueline Kennedy to Irish Priest Fr. Joseph Leonard between 1950 and 1964, revealing her personal thoughts on her marriage, her life in the White House and her "raw grief" following JFK’s assassination.
Accommodation choices:
During the History Weekend, guests can choose to stay in Ashford Castle or sister hotel, The Lodge at Ashford Castle: from €2,170.00, for two people sharing, guests will enjoy two nights in a Lake View room at Ashford Castle. This includes an award-winning Irish breakfast each morning and a five-course dinner on Saturday in The Connaught Room where each speaker will host a table.
Guests can also stay at The Lodge at Ashford Castle from €1210.35 for a single room, or €1559.70 for two people sharing, together with a full Irish breakfast each morning and dinner in The Connaught Room on Saturday where each speaker will host a table.
All guests can make full use of the complimentary nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, estate bicycles and the Ashford estate’s health and fitness centre Éalú with a pool, sauna and steam rooms and enjoy the estate’s daily guided walks.
Prices are based on two adults sharing and are subject to availability at the time of booking. T&Cs apply. Advance reservation is required for all dining and activities at the hotel. Reservations can be made here or by calling 094 954 6003.