Country Article / Postcards

Welcome to Ireland

Date: 03/15/2006

Dear International Living Reader,

The Castle Country farmhouse is one of the most welcoming places I've ever stayed. Built on the foundations of a 16th-century castle (you can visit the restored cellar), the farmhouse is in the small village of Millstreet (two pubs, one gas station, and one grocery store...but one of the pubs is also the gas station and grocery store).

To be honest, I don't know where Joan Nugent and her daughter, Catherine (a genealogist with helpful tips for American guests tracing their Irish ancestry), find the time to be such warm hosts; they also produce an endless supply of delicious home-cooked food. All ingredients are sourced locally, many coming from Castle Country's own farm.

Millstreet is an easy drive from Waterford City and County Cork, and plenty of country- and river-walks surround the 170-acre farm. Joan's sheepdog (retired) usually follows you to make sure you don't get lost--he's not as fast as he used to be, but he was still able to lead us within 20 feet of two wild deer near the woods by the topmost field before they caught our scent and bolted.

Bed and breakfast from $48 per night (discounts for 3 and 7-night stays), dinner is $30 a head, fresh hot scones and pots of tea are on the house. The large sumptuous bedrooms, all decorated with period furniture, have views of the surrounding valley.

Despite pleas from returning visitors, Joan has no plans to extend the guest wing of the farmhouse, so if you want to book one of the five bedrooms for summer, do it soon: http://www.castlecountryhouse.com.

Or maybe you'd prefer something a little more adventurous?

A wide berth, a shallow draft, lock racks, and bilge pumps. There was a time I couldn't tell one end of a barge from the other. Now, I'm an expert (or at least, I can talk like one).

The River Barrow is thought by those who should know to be the most picturesque navigable river in Ireland...and, therefore, in Europe.

River cruising is a popular holiday in Ireland, but the slower (and quieter) barge, or narrowboat, is a far better way to explore these charming waterways. Aboard a barge, you can throw a line around any riverside tree, and spend the night wherever you want (a cruiser can only dock at specific places), and venture into shallower waters than the deep-bottomed cruisers could ever navigate.

We took An Bradán ("The Salmon," in Irish, pictured above) from the 12th-century abbey town of Graignamanagh to the colorful town of Leighlinbridge, and back down to the tiny medieval village of St. Mullins, passing through dozens of black and white wooden lock gates. In a car, this journey would take you about an hour. On the barge, it took us a week, and felt like we'd been on vacation for six months.

My only complaint is the too-timid fish on this stretch of river--despite bringing two good rods, I caught nothing. But it didn't matter. Although the galley is sufficient for cooking, you'll find plenty of good restaurants and food-serving pubs along the Barrow; short a distance as we covered, we still passed 43 pubs, some doubling as provisions stores, hardware suppliers, and even a funeral director's premises.

The Barrow has several barge hire companies, but I found the best to be Valley Boats, tel. + (353) (0) 59-972-4889. Georgina Poole manages their four barges, and her husband, Arnie, keeps them riverworthy. Each barge comes with a bale of turf for the onboard stove and a welcome pack, including a loaf of homemade bread baked by Georgina.

Georgina can put together an itinerary of recommended berths, depending on your interests--golf...fishing...horse riding...hiking...etc. Barge hire for a week during high season costs $1,000. You'll need a minimum crew of two to navigate the locks (but lock keepers are on hand to help, if needed).

However, if you'd rather a vacation in Luxurious Ireland, you won't find a better place to stay than Hayfield Manor in Cork.

Yes, the rooms are dripping in opulence, the staff are first-rate, and I'm sure everyone enjoys the private stairwell guests have to the outdoor hot tub (not to mention the excellent library and reading room). But the kicker for me was the putting machine discreetly kept in the bottom of the gentleman's wardrobe. I don't even play golf, but I've yet to find a better way to pass the time while your companion uses the massive bathroom (with free-standing bath) to get ready for dinner.

This is a five-star hotel with five-star prices, but sometimes you can get online deals for about $250 per room: http://www.hayfieldmanor.ie.

Len Galvin
For International Living