Sunday Business Post-Magazine Circulation: 44529 Sunday, 2 March 2014 Area of Clip: 807300mm² Page: 12,13,14,15,16.... Page 1 of 10 TRAVELSPECIAL Springis here, so it's time to getout thereand enjoy the best of what the countryhas to offer.Find inspiration in ourten-page Irish travel special. Witheverything from country houses to spabreaks, family holidays and food-focusedtrips on offer, there's no excusefor not hitting the road. amazinghow little known it seemsin the CatherineO'Mahony got Republiccompared to, say,west Cork or Connemara. downand dirty on the Fanad Wehave picked Donegal for a Valentine's peninsulain Donegal weekendbreak, in a movesome of ourfriends seem to regardas surprising. In February,it's a muckyscramble Butwe have been on this peninsula for FanadLighthouse in Donegal:given acrossfields to reachthe Great Arch on a holidaybefore so we know it's lessthan the lush gorgeousnessof this part of Donegal'sFanad Peninsula. It's worth fourhours drive from Dublin, and we are Donegal'scoastline, it's amazinghow theeffort though, when below you rears wellaware of whatit hasto offer. little knownit seems JimFoley/Getty Ireland'slargest natural stone arch, a hollowed-outFurthermore, our hotel, an utterlyrelaxing seastack-set against a backdrop countryhouse hotel called Rathmullan of craggyrocks, startling blue pools and a House,has the distinction of beinglocated foamysea. moreor lesson a goldenbeach. This provides Carryon drivingnorthward up thecoast an easyanswer to themost frequent towardFanad Head and you hit a panorama questionthat arises when one is on holiday: of greenfields that ends in a jaggedrocky whatwill we donow? A trip to the beach coastlinebattered by crashingAtlantic especiallyone that's a 100yards from the waves.This is Ireland'snorthernmost coast. breakfasttable — will generally please anyone, Nextlandfall: the North Pole. andin mostseasons too. Giventhe lushgorgeousness of this easternpart of Donegal'scoastline, it's i Sunday Business Post-Magazine Circulation: 44529 Sunday, 2 March 2014 Area of Clip: 807300mm² Page: 12,13,14,15,16.... Page 2 of 10 Sunday Business Post-Magazine Circulation: 44529 Sunday, 2 March 2014 Area of Clip: 807300mm² Page: 12,13,14,15,16.... Page 3 of 10 RathmullanHouse in Donegal:this is the sort of hotel where kids can come to breakfast wearing pyjamas and where adults have ample space to relax frompage 12 Rathmullanis a smallcoastal village on the shoreof LoughSwilly, across which youcan spot the holidaymakers'favourite townof Buncranaon the Inishowenpeninsula (youcan get a ferrythere in summer). Localofferings include tennis and horse ridingon the beach,while there are sea sportsin highseason and a smatteringof restaurantswhich mostly open when the weathergets warmer. If youdon't require poshnosh, the moreishfish and chips at Saltn' Batteron PierRoad are not to be missed. Rathmullan'schief appeal probably liesin the factthat it's an excellentbase for golfers,anglers, surfers or just fansof beautifullandscape and beaches to explore Donegal.It's a shortdrive to the pretty townof Portsalonwith its lovelybeach. GlenveaghNational Park, one of Ireland's largest,is alsoclose by. RathmullanHouse is runby the Wheeler family,who discovered it just over50 years Castle Durrowin Co Laois:the luxuriouscountry house is one of Ireland's most popularwedding venues ago,fell in lovewith it anddecided to run it as a business.The originalhouse dates backto the early1800s and was a summer fastbuffet extends to top-notchhomemade homefor manyyears to the Battfamily, muesliand fresh berries. CherylO'Sullivan took a whowere prominent businesspeople from Manyof the bedroomsare in a modern romanticbreak at historic Belfast. extensionwing. Ours was largeand comfortable, Thesedays, Mark and Mary, a second withits owngas fire and rounded CastleDurrow in CoLaois generationof Wheelers,are in charge, Frenchdoors that leadon to the garden. whileBob Wheeler continues to workon Thebathroom - neatlybalancing the modern Castle Durrowstands in a commanding the estateand make his signature(and withthe traditional- featuredblue panelled positionoverlooking its award-winning)marmalade. walls,a freestandingcast-iron bath realmin the Co Laoiscountryside. Thehotel has beenextended over time anda pleasinglyeffective power shower. Duringsome of the worststorms andnow has 34bedrooms, a swimming Doglovers should note that there is a the countryhad seenin recentyears, my pooland a spa. "doggieroom" in thisbit of the hotelfeaturing husband and I werelooking forward to a rooms.There are plansto openthe former Butthe originalGeorgian building provides hardwoodfloors that make it easyfor peacefulgetaway. gardener'slodge as a tea roomfor dayvisitors the atmosphericcore of thishotel; it's canineguests to bunkin withtheir human A littleover an hourfrom Dublin, the whowish to enjoythe gardens. simplyan exceptionallycomfortable spot to owners,instead of beingconsigned to external castleis perfectfor a shorttrip andits central Ourroom, accessed via a rathergrand relaxover tea andscones, or a glassof red kennels. locationmeans it is easilyreached from stonestaircase, was the MissLeyah, named wine.There are fourdifferent lounge areas, Thisa generoustouch which would be mostparts of the country.Out of the gloom afterone of the Stokes'sfive daughters. eachwith a differentlook, but all boasting niceto seereplicated elsewhere, and it reflects andinto the entrancehall, we weregreeted Theroom was enormous,with antique furniture openfires and squishy sofas. Couples snuggle a notablyeasy-going and accommodating with plush settees, fresh flowers, high ceilings anda hugefour-poster bed complete up withnewspapers and books here atmosphereat Rathmullan.This andelaborate stained glass windows withcanopy. The large adjoining bathroom whilefamilies play Scrabble. is the sortof hotelwhere kids can come featuringShakespearian scenes. featuredMolton Brown toiletries and fluffy Thedining room is quirkilyarranged to breakfastwearing pyjamas, and where Builtin the early18th century by Colonel bathrobeswhile the windows,with their withmismatched antique tables and twinkly adults- anddogs - haveample space to WilliamFlower, the castleis now heavyfloor to ceilingdrapes, overlooked lightsoverhead, like a nightsky. The relax. ownedby Peterand ShellyStokes, who the extensivegardens which even on a winter's foodis excellentand unpretentious - a delicious Standardrooms cost from €80 per person boughtit in 1998and who have completely daywere a delightto see. baconand cabbage featured on the per nightfor bed andbreakfast, with superior renovatedit. Wewere told the groundsare magnificent eveningmenu while we werethere. In the roomsfrom €95. As wellas decoratingthe mainhouse in the warmermonths when the rose morning,there are kippers and pancakes as rathmullanhouse.com, irelands-bluebook.ie and rooms in lavishstyle, the Stokesconverted gardens are in fullbloom - a goodexcuse wellas the traditionalfry, while the break¬ the old stablesto courtyardfamily to returnif everthere was one.Within the Sunday Business Post-Magazine Circulation: 44529 Sunday, 2 March 2014 Area of Clip: 807300mm² Page: 12,13,14,15,16.... Page 4 of 10 SPECIAL The AghadoeHeights in Kiilarney,Co Kerry:a supremelycomfortable five-star hotel whichoverlooks the lakes and boasts a top-class spa inexpensivetouch which he, andwe, really despiteour almost comically grumpy boat ing- keepan eyeout for this year's programme, GillianNelis acclimatised appreciated. driver. becauseif it's halfas goodas last to somegood weather in Thespa is oneof Aghadoe's main attractions, Thewelcome couldn't have been more year's,it's wellworth the trip. andafter the drivefrom Wicklow I differentat Kennedy'sPet Farmoff the Ourhome for the weekendwas Sheen Kiilarneyand Kenmare wasready for someone to workthe knots CorkRoad, which was packedwith families FallsLodge, which like many Irish hotels outof myback and shoulders (although we enjoyingthe sunshineand the chanceto has changedhands in recenttimes, and On a scorchinghot July day, I am didstop off at LaCucina in Limerickcity hand-feedthe animals. wheremanager Patrick Hanley - a local doingsomething I have never for a fantasticlunch -1 tried,and failed, to It's a littleon the priceyside (a two whogrew up in his family'shotel in Kenmare donebefore -1 am sunbathing resistchef Bruno Coppola's authentic Italian adult,three kid pass is €35),but if yougot - is bringingit to the attentionof a outsidean Irish hotel. It is an odd carbonara). the weather,you could easily pass an entire wholenew audience. feeling,and I findmyself almost apologising Forme, there's no point in havinga massageafternoon here. Thedinner cooked by chefPhilip Brazil to myfellow guests for having the temerity unlessit's a firmone, and I hadspecifically Dinner that night was in the LakeRoom whichwe ate on our secondnight at Sheen to appearin publicin a bikini.This requesteda therapistwith thumbs restaurantat Aghadoe, where we wereimpressed Falls was the bestmeal we hadon ourtrip: is Irelandfor goodness sake; we don'tdo of steel.I gotit in the shapeof RitaBonn, withthe food,the numberof local contemporarywithout being gimmicky, thatkind of thinground here. whothe spamanager tells me has a loyal suppliersname checked on the menu,and confidentand packed with flavour, his Notthat most of the otherguests are one followingof clientswho return to herregularly. the facilitatingof differentdiets. If youare cookingis reasonenough to visiteven before bit bothered.A mixof Germansand English I canunderstand why - it wasone