MT CORR N Durrus, Co. Cork GUEST BOOK WELCOME TO OUR HOME We really hope that you enjoy the house, garden and West Cork as much as we all do. 2 Important numbers 4 Room Plans 6 The House 8 Check-in/out Keys Gates Dog(s) Recycling, Rubbish and Composting House land line Wifi TVs + Sky Hot water Heating The wood fires Laundry and Housekeeping 10 The Kitchen 10 Drinking Water Ovens The Pantry Dining Areas The Swimming Pool and Tub 11 Child safety Temperatures Food 12 Kitchen garden produce Farmers’ markets Special shops Pubs and Restaurants By Area 14 Areas of Interest, Walking or Driving 16 Other Activities 17 Church Services 19 3 IMPORTANT NUMBERS John Johnston Margaret O’Brien 00 353 (86) 334 9625 00 353 (86) 650742 The Housekeeper Home 00 353 (27) 61282 If you would like her to come in during your stay, John will greet you on arrival and explain the please let me or her know in advance. Margaret can house to you. He looks after everything plumbing, be quite hard to understand, but is the best cleaner mechanical, electrical, fencing, firewood and grass this side of Texas. She knows the house backwards related around the house and garden. He works and is incredibly obliging. Monday to Friday, 09.30-4.30pm and is your first port of call if you want help on how something Private Cook - Carmel Somers works or if something has stopped working. If he 00 353 (85) 856 9367 is not at work around the place, if you have to call Carmel has until recently run one of the most him he generally comes 5-10 minutes - but has been celebrated restaurants in West Cork and arguably, known to have a social life on a Friday or Saturday Ireland – The Good Things Café. She now teaches night so may not respond so immediately then. Or and writes and if you are lucky enough for her not early on a Sunday morning. to be engaged somewhere else, she can be booked to cook at the house with a good bit of notice in Me, Kate Donaghy advance of your arrival. Her cookbook, ‘Eat Good 00 44 7767 686098 Things’ is on the shelf in the kitchen and is full of Call or text me anytime if things are not working or menus and dishes which we make all the time. She you have a question or just to let me know that you was one of the first to adopt Alice Walters’ (‘Chez have arrived and everything is/is not as you hoped. Panisse’ in San Francisco) philosophy of serving only Particularly the latter. (very) locally grown, organic and seasonal vegetables. We used to be one of Carmel’s suppliers while she Paul McCulla still had the restaurant in Durrus. If you do book 00 353 (85) 748 1182 her to cook, she will also be able to tell you the Paul is kind enough to refer to the garden as ‘my’.. who-and- what makes up the extraordinary food ie Kate’s garden. It is at least 7 parts his. I have the ecosystem that is West Cork. ideas and he has the professional training, spade, fork, mini-digger, good back and water proofing to have made it all happen. He works 4 days per week, generally Tuesday -Thursday and then Saturday. The Kitchen garden (West Cork is unlikely to tolerate the word ‘Potager’), was almost wholly created by Paul and John. They drained a standing swamp to the productive organic spot it is now, put in huge land drains, hauled seaweed up from the shore and lugged manure down from John’s family farm. Paul will leave a box of what vegetables and fruit are in season for your arrival and will introduce himself to you to discuss what vegetables you would like throughout your stay. He will happily take you around the Kitchen and wider Garden if that would interest you. Their good manners and reticence generally prompt both John and Paul to rather keep to the kitchen garden.. Please go and find them if they are being invisible and you would like to ask them anything or would just like to say hello. 4 TAXIS Carmel McCarthy Home 00 353 (27) 61 033 Mob. 00 353 (87) 746 4888 Carmel’s Great Grandfather used to live in this house. His father was the local auctioneer, ‘Long John McCarthy’. She is very reliable, chatty and knowledgeable on local lore. Jack McNulty 00 353 (27) 61219 Jack was the local Gard (Policeman). He therefore knows everything and everyone. He is known to slow down to a near stop when in the middle of an anecdote so if you are on the way to the airport, don’t be shy about telling him to put his foot down a bit more. Like everyone else around here, he is extremely good humoured. MEDICAL GP There is a very good German GP, Dr Gita, in Bantry. Her colleagues are also good. Visits cost c€45. The practice is moving in the spring of 2020 so call to find out its location. 00 353 (27) 50504. 8am-6pm through lunch Mon-Friday. Sat. 9-12. Out of normal hours call ‘SouthDoc’ 1850 335999 Bantry Hospital A&E 00353(027) 50133 5 ROOM PLANS THE HOUSE Ground Floor 5 2 9 3 8 10 1 7 6 4 First Floor 13 11 14 12 15 1. Garden Room 9. Pantry 2. Boot Room 10. Laundry Room 3. Sitting Room 11. ‘Hotel du Vin’ Bedroom 4. Sitting Room 12. Double/Twin Bedroom 5. Kitchen 13. Master Bedroom 6. Dining Room 15. Dressing Room (Single Bedroom 7. Study (with Sofa Bed) with 2 lockable doors between 8. Utility Room this + Master) 6 THE GRANARY Ground Floor 1. Gym 2 2. Bathroom 3. Loft (with Double Day bed) 1 First Floor 3 THE COTTAGE 1. Kitchen 2. Living Room (with sofa bed) 6 3. Bathroom/Utility 5 4. Smaller Double Bedroom (Queen Bed) 5. Large Double Bedroom 6. Bathroom 3 4 7. Log Store & Recycling/Waste 7 1 2 7 THE HOUSE Check in is after 4pm and Check out, 10am. To let guests/those without a fob in, there is a call Do call ahead to agree a time with John +/or Aidan system from the cottage gate to the main house as above. It may be possible to arrive earlier. kitchen for when they are closed. In the kitchen there is a button on the wall behind the white Keys curtain which will open the gates. John will show John will give you two keys, one for the kitchen you how to use this. It is to the right of the door side door and another for the front door. Keys are into the utility room. John will also show you how our nightmare because we seem to have a house of a to lock the gates on open. Click the fob to open thousand external doors. (The external doors to the them, then as they are closing, at the half way-ish garden room are kept unlocked). Each door has a mark, click again and they will stay open. key on a nail on the left architrave. PLEASE do not remove these and stick to using the keys provided Dog - not dogs and return them to John when you are leaving. Please only have one dog. The presence of two While you are in the house, it is easiest to put the brings about an exponential degree of damage. kitchen, side, front and garden room doors on the Much as we are a doggy family, other than our two snib but please remember to lock them before old lads whose fires are now burning low, we limit you go out or to bed. We spend a small fortune guests to just one, and that one is most welcome replacing keys and will be very grateful if each of downstairs but NOT upstairs. When muddy, please the doors still has a key in the lock when you leave. hose/ towel him/her down before bringing them into the house when muddy. The ponds are a mud- Gates fest for them. We tend to throw stones for them in The Main (Cottage) gate is fully automatic - the stream though there is a hose on the far wall of (Although many sing a quiet Ave Maria prayer each the terrace, just about findable underneath a young time they press the fob). John will give you a fob Magnolia and a Crab Apple in a pot. to keep in the car and also the Code for both gates. We chiefly close the main (cottage) gate if dogs +/ No Hen, Stag or mixed gender or children are staying. The road is surprisingly busy. varieties of same And fast. Recycling, Compostables, The Farmer’s gate on the eastern (Durrus) side is only used by our neighbouring farmer who has Rubbish and the Bottle Bin a right of way to the surrounding fields. Without In the kitchen exaggeration it is a lethal exit. If you have to use it, PhD’s will be awarded for working out this system. the code used on the keypad on one of the pillars There is a 4-container bin in the drawer underneath only opens the magnetic lock. You then open and the hob - left hand side of the Kitchen Island. close the gate manually. 8 We put compostables (no animal fat or citrus) into the two small left-hand bins, which need no bags.