Johnstown Castle Estate has been home to two prominent Wexford families. The first owners were the Esmondes; a Norman family who settled in the county in the 1170s. They constructed the tower houses at Johnstown and Rathlannon during the 15th or 16th century. During the Cromwellian period of 1640s the estate was confiscated and changed hands several times before being acquired by John Grogan in 1692, whose descendents remained at Johnstown up until 1945 when Maurice Victor Lakin presented Johnstown Castle estate as a gift to the Nation.

Johnstown Castle Estate was at its peak of development in 1863 and comprised of a large demesne of over 1,000 acres. It was divided in two with a deer park to the north, and the castle, pleasure grounds, home farm and two lakes.

Before the castle was approved for weddings in 2010, Kathleen Lakin (nee FitzGerald) and Michael Lawrence Lakin were the last couple to hold their wedding in Johnstown Castle on 18 July 1914. The Castle's grounds are open to the public, however the Castle doors have been shut for years. So it gives us great pleasure to now open this beautiful gem of Wexford for wedding ceremonies.