Gougane Barra Hotel
- Where is it? Gougane Barra
- What is it? Classic hotel sitting on the lakes of Gougane Barra
- Licenced for civil ceremonies? Yes
- Capacity: Caters for up to 65 guests/ accommodation for 50 guests
- Perfect for: Elopements, boho smaller weddings, those that love woods, lakes and inland weddings
- Makes me think of: Irish cosiness, fairytale Boho wedding chic and forest walks.
I have to admit, Gougane Barra occupies a special place in my history of photographing weddings. This is because of a fairytale boho-chic humanist wedding that I shot there. This disclosed, I can say that ‘fairytale wedding location’ starts to describe Gougane Barra Hotel, which is situated in a breath-taking position on the edge of Gougane Barra lake.
The hotel sits right next to St Finbarr’s island oratory, which is one of the most popular wedding venues in Ireland for it’s charm and prettiness. Meanwhile, this fifth-generation family-run hotel is the epitome of Irish cosy, as it’s tucked away in a romantic, glaciated valley in the south-west of Ireland and surrounded by mountains. The old world charm of the decor and atmosphere enhance relaxed and informal non-traditional, intimate wedding ceremonies. What’s more, they offer wedding couples the choice of hosting a civil ceremony on the hotel grounds or St. Finbarr’s Oratory for intimate, small-scale services.
Photo opportunities are never ending here: with a spectacular mountain backdrop and glittering lake, the island oratory or hotel gardens make this one of the most beautiful locations in West Cork for a wedding day. If you fancy rowing a boat out with a bottle of bubbles this is possible. Getting lost in the woods? Yes. I most love… all of the above!
