Elegant entrance of Fernhill House Hotel on a sunny day, with lush greenery and welcoming atmosphere.

A serene garden setting with a glasshouse under clear blue skies at Fernhill House Hotel.

A serene aerial view of Fernhill House Hotel gardens with winding stone pathways and lush greenery.

Our Story

About Fernhill & History

Fernhill Hotel & Estate is a luxurious Georgian country house set within beautifully landscaped gardens overlooking the countryside of Clonakilty in West Cork. Owned and cared for by the O’Neill family for four generations, Fernhill has grown into one of Ireland’s most recognised destinations for weddings, relaxing breaks and special occasions.

Guests can enjoy elegant accommodation, award winning gardens, locally sourced food and a peaceful countryside setting just minutes from the vibrant town of Clonakilty and the Wild Atlantic Way coastline.

The O’Neill Family

Group enjoying a warm welcome at Fernhill House Hotel lobby with a cosy fireplace.

Fernhill Hotel & Estate is a family run hotel cared for by the fourth generation of O Neills at Fernhill. The five members of the current O Neill family are Michael & his wife Teresa with their sons Neil, Michael jnr and Gearóid. We are all involved in the running of the hotel and together with our professional team we will do everything we can to make your experience at Fernhill exceptional.

There is a long history of O Neills at Fernhill. The mansion house was bought by M.J. O Neill in the 1940’s and was turned into a hotel by his son Con with his wife Mary in the 1960’s.

Their son Michael took over the hotel with his wife Teresa in the 1980s and they oversaw a large expansion of the building together with the development of the beautiful gardens at the front of the hotel.

Today the fourth generation of O Neills are ensuring that the long tradition of excellent service at Fernhill is continuing. They would like to extend a warm invitation for you to come and experience it for yourself.

History

The mansion house at Fernhill has a long rich history which we welcome you to visit and experience for yourself.

Early 1800’s
The mansion house at Fernhill was built. It was the most expensive house in the Clonakilty area and was the manor house of a 1,257 acre estate.

1841
Robert Atkin was born at Fernhill. He became one of the founding fathers of social justice in Australia and his son Lord Atkin was one on the most influential judges in world history thanks to the ‘snail in a bottle’ case.

1900
George Wright of Fernhill House became the solicitor General of Ireland.

1920
Michael Collins visited Fernhill to meet his friend Bertie O Donovan who lived at the mansion house.

1938-45
The land of Fernhill was used by the army as a base during World War Two in preparation for a potential invasion. An ammunition magazine is still standing.

1946
MJ O’Neill purchased Fernhill and started the O’Neill tradition of welcoming guests to Fernhill.

2013
President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina dined at Fernhill as part of the celebrations of the 400th year of Clonakilty.

2014
Fernhill was mentioned in the Dáil minutes having been the first to lobby against the ban on outdoor weddings in Ireland. The ban was later overturned.

2016
Fernhill was named the most ‘community minded business in Ireland’ for its charitable work.

2019
Michael jnr was elected mayor of Clonakilty & is the 4th generation of the O’Neill family to be elected mayor.

2025
Fernhill takes the title of Europe’s Best Historic Wedding Venue and undertakes its biggest expansion to date.

Environment Friendly Fernhill

Here at Fernhill we understand that we all have a part to play to protect the environment for future generations.

A family strolls through lush gardens towards Fernhill House Hotel on a sunny day.

Solar Panels

Solar panels are in place to provide our hot water & reduce emissions.

Scenic view of Fernhill House Hotel by the vibrant Irish coastline, families enjoying the sea.

Water

We have our own sustainable water supply from our on site well. We monitor its purity to ensure that it is world class for our guests.

Serene garden with stone feature at Fernhill House Hotel.

Sustainable Clonakilty

Michael jnr was director of Sustainable Clonakilty and was a board member of the European Union’s EDEN group, the largest collection of sustainable destinations in the world. Getting involved in community environment projects allows us to reduce an even larger carbon output than our own.

A scenic garden path lined with lush green trees at Fernhill House Hotel.

Gardens

Our gardens use sustainably sourced water, are kind to the local environment and have many Irish plants & trees.

A joyful family gathers in garden at Fernhill House Hotel.

Community

We give back to the community by buying locally, sponsoring local events/charities/groups & getting involved in several organisations.

A bee pollinates a vibrant pink flower in a lush garden.

Local Wildlife

We own a river valley referred to as ‘the glen’ next to the hotel which is in a natural state. We do what we can to protect it as it is a great resource for local wildlife.

Scenic coastal view near Fernhill House Hotel.

Recycling & Composting

We have a strict recycling & composting strategy to reduce waste.

A dining table setting with a steak, roasted tomatoes, and wine at Fernhill House Hotel.

Source Locally

We try to source our food & products locally to keep our ‘food miles’ & carbon footprint low. We also grow some of our food – herbs like thyme, bay leafs and more.

A couple walking through vibrant gardens at Fernhill House Hotel on a sunny day.

Flowers

Many of the floral arrangements at Fernhill are sourced from our own gardens.

Family garden area at Fernhill House Hotel with seating and directional signs.

Tree Planting

We undertook an extensive tree planting program to add thousands of trees to the ones that already reduce carbon & provide a more natural environment at Fernhill.

A joyful couple celebrating their wedding outdoors at Fernhill House Hotel.

Giving Back

At Fernhill we are very lucky to have support of fantastic customers and the wonderful community of West Cork.

More Features

We hope that this will allow you to enjoy your stay even more at Fernhill.

Employ
We employ a large amount of people locally on our professional team of over 100.

Sustainability
Our range of sustainable tourism practices ensure that our impact on the local environment is minimised and benefits it wherever possible.

Volunteerism & Community Spirit
Clonakilty is renowned for volunteerism & community spirit. We have helped to run several organisations like Sustainable Clonakilty, Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce, the random acts of kindness festival, tourism West Cork and many more.

Pink Ribbon
Teresa hosts & helps to organise a pink ribbon walk in aid of breast cancer awareness every October bank holiday weekend. It was one of the first of its kind locally and has gone onto inspire many others. On top of being a very enjoyable community event it has generated a massive amount of awareness and raised over €100,000.

Sponsorship
We provide sponsorship to lots events & organisations with over 50 benefiting last year.

Sourcing Locally
We source many of our products & services in the area which provides even more employment locally.

Autism Friendly
Fernhill is autism friendly, click HERE to view our visual guidelines.

Awards & Associations
We love creating exceptional experiences and have been lucky enough to win awards such as :Best Historic Wedding Venue in Europe, No.1 hotel in Cork on Tripadvisor, Wedding venue of the year, Top 10 four star hotel in Ireland from Trivago, the best business in Ireland for working with the community among many more.

See what our guests love about their stay

Our Testimonials

“Gorgeous hotel, very comfy beds, staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly. Beautiful gardens and delicious food. Only a few minutes from the town centre. Will happily stay here again.”

Louise

“We loved the gardens. We had dinner in the restaurant one evening and it was delicious, a real taste of West Cork. We had a fabulous time. Will return again.”

Rosanna

“The staff were friendly and efficient. There was a lovely atmosphere in the hotel, the gardens are a joy. We really enjoyed our stay will definitely return x.”

Jerry