Crown Media Christmas at Castle Hart
The Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas at Castle Hart” premieres on Saturday, November 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern. Encores will air throughout the season. The movie stars Lacey Chabert and Stuart Townsend. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and the cast.
If you miss the premiere, you can catch the movie again on November 28 at 3:59 p.m. Eastern, December 3 at 6 p.m., December 11 at 10:01 p.m., December 16 at 4 p.m., December 25 at 5 p.m., December 29 at 8 p.m., and December 31 at 8 a.m. Eastern.
‘Christmas at Castle Hart’ Was Filmed in Ireland
“Christmas at Castle Hart” was filmed on location in Ireland in September. While most Hallmark movies are filmed in Canada, this was a rare exception and was filmed overseas. The working title at one point was “Christmas at the Castle.”
A post by West Coast Casting, which does casting calls for productions “in the West of Ireland,” requested extras for the movie while it was filmed in Clare and Limerick. The post noted:
We are casting extras for a new film called CHRISTMAS AT CASTLE HART shooting around Clare and Limerick during September.In particular we are looking for men and women aged 50 and up for a ballroom scene shooting September 1st in Ennis so if you have a suit or a ball gown and fancy some dancing, get in touch with your contact details and recent clear photo. Other roles include Hotel staff, diners, villagers and pub patrons.
At one point in September, Ennis was taken over by the Christmas movie, one person shared.
Clare Champion reported that Abbey Street in Ennis was one filming location in September.
This was Chabert’s first trip to Ireland, she told Southern Living, and it was a homecoming for Townsend who is from Howth, County of Dublin. Townsend said he hadn’t been back for three years.
“I had never been to Ireland before and I was so thrilled to just to be there and see how beautiful it is, and the most kind people and so genuinely welcoming,” Chabert said.
In a Hallmark interview, Chabert said about the movie: “I get to be this princess in this castle. I get to wake up here, walk down the stairs, go to work…”
Three Castles Were Used in the Movie
One of the stunning castles that you see in the movie is Dromoland Castle Hotel & Country Club.
Here’s another photo of Dromoland Castle.
Southern Living reported that three castles in County Clare, Ireland, were used while filming. The cast and crew got to stay at the Dromoland Castle for a few days, Chabert shared.
“It’s all decorated for Christmas for the movie, and it was just so magical,” Chabert said.
According to Dromoland’s website, the castle has welcomed guests since the 16th Century and is located on a 450-acre estate that has a golf course, spa, and special events for different times of the year.
Playback Online reported that filming also took place at Lough Cutra Castle in Galway and Kinvara in Galway Bay.
Lough Cutra is a private family home on a woodest estate where you can stay or host an event and “private and security is guaranteed,” the website notes. It can accommodate up to 18 guests in nine bedrooms and is located just 40 minutes from Shannon Airport.
Here are photos shared from when they were filming at the castle.
The website notes: “We aim to provide a unique, once in a lifetime experience for our guests. Our home is your castle and we are happy to give guidance and organise your outings, whatever your fancy.”
The third castle in the movie was filmed in Kinvara in Galway Bay.
Meet the Cast
Crown MediaChristmas at Castle Hart
The synopsis reads: “Brooke Bennett goes to Ireland for Christmas to search for her Irish roots. While there, she meets charming Aiden Hart, Earl of Glaslough. Mistaken for an elite event planner, she’s hired to host his castle’s epic Christmas party.”
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Lacey Chabert is Brooke. Many consider her one of the “queens” of Hallmark because she’s appeared in more than 18 Hallmark movies. Her movies include “Sweet Carolina,” “Love Romance and Chocolate,” “Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas,” “Christmas Waltz,” “Winter in Vail,” “Christmas in Rome,” “Love on Safari,” the “All of My Heart” series, “The Color of Rain,” and more. Her feature film debut was “Lost in Space” in 1998. Her resume also includes “Party of Five,” “All My Children,” and more.
Sadly, Chabert shared less than a week before her new movie aired that one of her sisters had died unexpectedly.
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Stuart Townsend is Aiden. According to IMDb, Townsend’s many credits include “Grace and Grit,” “Salem” (Dr. Samuel Wainwright), “Elementary,” “Betrayal” (Jack), “A Stranger in Paradise,” “XIII: The Series” (XIII), “Robot Chicken,” “Maggie Hill,” “Chaos Theory,” “Night Stalker” TV series (Carl), “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman” (Dorian Gray), “Queen of the Damned” (Lestat), “Resurrection Man,” and more. According to IMDb, he’s currently filming “Two Minutes to Midnight.”
According to TheThings.com, Townsend was considered for the role of Aragorn on “Lord of the Rings,” but was replaced by Viggo Mortensen the day before filming.
Also starring are:
- Ali Hardiman (Margot)
- Aoife Spratt (Siobhan)
- Ali White (Clara)
- Kate O’Toole (Duchess)
- Natalie Radmall-Quirke (Fiona)
- Kevin McGahern (Cillian)
- John Olohan (Fionn)
- Sean McGinley (Liam)
- Mark Lambert (Baron Kilcullen)
- Breffni Holahan (Jennifer)
- Donna Anita Nikolaisen (Paige Monaghan)
- Gary Murphy (Mayor Odhran)
- Lorcan Cranitch (Patrick)
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Where Was ‘Christmas at Castle Hart’ Filmed? See Castles & Cast Stories