Ballyscullion Park
Northern Ireland's Historic, Unique Venue
Ballyscullion Park is the home of Richard and Rosalind Mulholland and their four children. The estate was bought by Richard’s grandparents, Sir Harry and Lady Mulholland in 1938, and the house was restored to its present state.
Ballyscullion Park is situated on the shores of Lough Beg, through which the River Bann flows. It is a Ramsa site, and Site of Special Scientific Interest owing to the richness and diversity of flora and birdlife. At the southern end of the strand, surrounded by the Lough on one side and wetlands on the other, is the ancient historic monument, Church Island.
The church of St Taide was reputedly founded by Saint Patrick, and a hollowed stone bears the imprint of his knee as he knelt to bless the site. Now a ruin, Church Island is still a place of pilgrimage on the first Sunday in September. A rag tree bears testimony to the faith of many generations in the healing powers this enchanting and enchanted haven.
Seamus Heaney, the late much-lamented poet, grew up nearby and his father grazed his cattle on the strand. Lough Beg has provided inspiration for many of his poems.
- 1787 - Present Day
- An exclusive, unique location available for your ceremony, photography, reception and evening party or corporate event.
Providing expert wedding day venue consultations
A highly personal, luxury wedding planning service
Family-run Venue
At Ballyscullion Park we are very proud to be one of the very few family-run exclusive use venues in Northern Ireland. We believe that this allows us to create a closer relationship with our couples, providing them with a warm and personal experience on the lead up to their day and on the wedding day itself, when we welcome their guests as our own.
Richard and Rosalind Mulholland are the Owners and Directors of Ballyscullion Park. Their son George keeps the gardens and grounds in perfect condition while also managing the accommodation. Cordelia, their daughter, is the Social Media and Events Manager and also leads viewings of the venue with new couples.
As a family we invest so much time, care and attention into our venue and grounds and every time a couple books with us, it is a huge compliment. We love nothing more than helping our Bride, Groom and their guests to create a very special day at our beautiful venue.
2023 - Ten Years of Weddings
This year marks our tenth year of hosting weddings at Ballyscullion Park. For the first four years all our ceremonies and receptions were held in the Stables Room and Ringrose Room, with temporary marquees on the lawn. The first year of business we hosted two weddings and in 2022, our tenth year, we held seventy-seven!
As a family we have also put the venue to good use with some notable events. Our two daughters held their wedding receptions, Rosalind celebrated her 60th birthday, and her mother Patience’s celebrated her 90th in our marquee.
It has been an immense joy growing and developing Ballyscullion Park over the years and each year we undertake large projects and upgrades to keep improving the venue for our couples. In the last three years alone we have put in a 62 vehicle car park, opened up the Palace Ruins for ceremonies, installed cast iron fencing along the avenue, renovated our courtyard cottages, and continually added interesting features and flowers to our beautiful Walled Garden.
We look forward to improving and developing the venue even more in the years ahead.
Giving Back
As a family, we believe that it is very important to give back to the community so we hold a charity ball every other year to raise funds for various local charities.
For our inaugural ball in February 2020, we chose Marie Curie, whose work supporting people with terminal illness is so incredibly Important. We had a brilliant evening and were absolutely delighted to be able to present a cheque to the charity for £8655.
Our second charity ball was held in February 2022, partnering with Action for Children NI. Vulnerable children suffered exponentially throughout the numerous covid lockdowns and so we decided to raise money for those affected. We chose Action for Children NI as they provide invaluable assistance to the most at risk children and support them right through to 25 years of age.
Due to the incredible generosity of our guests, we raised a total of £9,750 for the charity. It was a fabulous night of music and entertainment with incredible raffle and auction prizes kindly donated by local businesses.
Meet the team
Owner, Ballyscullion Park
Rosalind Mulholland
Rosalind Mullholland is a friendly, considerate & discreet professional offering a highly personal, luxury wedding planning service at Ballyscullion Park. Rosalind oversees all event planning at Ballyscullion Park and works one-to-one with clients to ensure their special day, event or business function is perfect.
Owner, Ballyscullion Park
Richard Mulholland
Richard Mulholland is an experienced tour guide for small group tours, specialising in historic houses and gardens. He also plays an important role within Ballyscullion Park, ensuring all weddings run smoothly and our couples have the most magical day.
Social Media and Events Manager
Cordelia McKinley
Cordelia is the Social Media and Events Manager at Ballyscullion Park. She is the youngest daughter of Richard and Rosalind and she and Ian got married at Ballyscullion Park in July 2017. Cordelia is responsible for organising our open days and charity balls as well as keeping everyone up to date with weddings, events and new developments across our social media platforms.
” Every quirk or idea that wasn’t the standard tradition of weddings was fully encouraged especially by Cordelia who even helped enhance our quirky ideas and made them better! “
Accommodation Manager
George Mulholland
George, our younger son, is our Courtyard Cottages accommodation manager, landscape gardener, occasional barman and Ballymaloe-trained private chef. The perfect combination of skills for our team! After spending several years working in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Scotland, he returned home in 2019 to join the family team.
Duty Manager
Geraldine Brolly
Geraldine Brolly is our excellent Duty Manager who looks after the Bride and Groom and their guests at Ballyscullion Park from ceremony right through to late in the evening. Geraldine is our couple’s point of reference throughout the day and is always in the back-ground making sure everything is running smoothly. She loves nothing more than a chat with the guests and is an extremely kind and reliable presence on your special day.
” There is good, then great, then outstanding and she is 100% outstanding. “
Wedding Manager
Cathy Murphy
Cathy Murphy is our Wedding Manager at Ballyscullion Park. With many years’ experience in planning weddings, Cathy has a great eye for all detail, from seating arrangements to wedding decor. Cathy is a well-known perfectionist in the wedding industry, with a welcoming personality and kind heart. Our couples feel at ease when Cathy is helping to plan their magical day.
” Cathy was a dream to work with throughout the planning and the day ran so smoothly. “
Bar Manager
Gary Owens
Garry Owens is our Bar Manager at Ballyscullion Park. Garry has many years of experience in hospitality and has a flair for all things beverage-related. He and his team of fully-trained mixologists have a true passion for creating exotic cocktails. Garry will work with you to provide a bespoke bar service for your wedding, ensuring we stock everything you require for a perfect day.
Arbutus Catering
Barry Dallat
Winner of ‘Caterer of the Year 2019’ in the Northern Ireland Wedding Awards, Barry and his team are perfectionists when it comes to creating the wedding meal of your dreams. He will help you decide on the perfect wedding menu tailored for you and your guests. Barry and his team also provide a Master-of-Ceremonies role so you can relax and enjoy your wedding day.
” The food was second to none and Arbutus were absolutely fantastic, very friendly, professional and complementary staff! “
Ballyscullion Park
Family owned and operated since 1938
The building of Ballyscullion began in 1787 to the Earl Bishop’s own extravagant designs. The façade was inspired by St Peter’s in Rome, and measured 350ft across, with a central rotunda flanked by curved wings and a large pavilion at each end.
The building of Ballyscullion began in 1787 to the Earl Bishop’s own extravagant designs. The façade was inspired by St Peter’s in Rome, and measured 350ft across, with a central rotunda flanked by curved wings and a large pavilion at each end. A double corkscrew staircase led from the entrance hall to the second storey circular drawing room which had panoramic views across to the Antrim hills in the east, the Mourne Mountains to the south and the Sperrin Mountains to the west.
His heir, Sir Hervey Bruce, who was his cousin, decided to live at Downhill, and in 1813 Ballyscullion Palace was pulled down. All that remains of it is a section of gallery wall and the foundation walls of the rotunda, hidden in the woods and half-covered in ivy. This is now a romantic woodland wedding ceremony location. Many of the architectural features were sold and incorporated into other buildings. The massive portico is part of St George’s Church in Belfast, and many fireplaces, columns and windows can still be found in other historic houses in the area.
Ten years of weddings
Our Awards
