2014 Award Winners

  • Francis Brennan
    Francis Brennan
    This has been an interesting year, and we have found many delightful surprises on our travels - including some brave and promising start-ups - but a particular problem has raised its head over and ...
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    • Dunraven Arms Hotel
      Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare, Co Limerick
      This is not the first time for this old family-run hotel to be singled out for this particular award. A decade has passed since it was our Hotel of the Year before and, since then, it has been vis ...
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      • VM Restaurant at Viewmount House
        VM Restaurant at Viewmount House, Longford Town
        Smart-casual dining may be very on-trend, but fine dining is far from dead. This year’s awards shortlist proved yet again that many of the country’s most creative chefs are continuing ...
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        • Stephen McAllister
          Stephen McAllister, The Pig's Ear Restaurant, Dublin
          Great ingredients have always been the essential foundation for great meals – the celebrated French chef Paul Bocuse called them ‘the building blocks of good cooking’- and our be ...
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          • Belleek Castle
            Belleek Castle, Ballina, Co Mayo
            “Just Ask!” is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and ...
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            • Eithna's by the Sea
              Eithna's by the Sea, Mullaghmore, Co Sligo
              Although we eat less fish at home than might be expected for an island nation, everybody – whether living in Ireland or just visiting - seems to love seafood when eating out, so it’s a ...
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              • Michael O'Meara
                Michael O'Meara, Oscars Seafood Bistro, Galway
                Great seafood cookery takes a special expertise - and a growing number of talented Irish chefs are happy to take up the challenge. Delighting diners with wonderfully creative seafood cooking sin ...
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                • Watermill Lodge
                  Watermill Lodge, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh
                  Since 1999 GCGuides has produced an independent guide to the best places to eat and drink along Ireland’s waterways. With the support of Waterways Ireland in recent years, it has developed t ...
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                  • Echo Lodge
                    Echo Lodge, Ballingarry, Co Limerick
                    Everyone loves the idea of a hideaway, and this is one of our most popular awards. Whether it’s the establishments itself which offers that sense of privacy and seclusion, or its location, t ...
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                    • Bob Isles
                      Bob Isles, Whitepark House, Ballintoy, Co Antrim
                      We should never be complacent about how others see us, but each time a visitor satisfaction survey is published the results are the same, with Ireland’s wonderful scenery (still impressive, ...
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                      • Limerick Strand Hotel
                        Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
                        While other guides are focused on the leisure market, we have always taken the needs of business guests into account when making our selections, and we appreciate the value of business tourism als ...
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                        • The Black Pig Winebar & Café, Kinsale, Co Cork
                          The Black Pig Winebar & Café, Kinsale, Co Cork
                          This is the only category of our Awards for which we encourage applications. While we also take note of other outstanding wine offerings encountered on our travels, interested establishments may s ...
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                          • Blairs Inn, Blarney, Co Cork
                            Blairs Inn, Blarney, Co Cork
                            In a quiet, wooded setting just a few minutes’ drive from a major tourist destination this pretty riverside pub is run by a warmly hospitable family who take real pride in welcoming visitors ...
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                            • Clashganny House Restaurant, Borris, Co Carlow
                              Clashganny House Restaurant, Borris, Co Carlow
                              This is always one of our most hotly-contested wards – by which I mean that the ‘short list’ is anything but - and how could it be otherwise when the establishments under conside ...
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                              • Druids Glen Resort, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow
                                Druids Glen Resort, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow
                                Family-friendliness is increasingly important in Irish hospitality as more people prefer to choose the simplicity, relaxation and - if chosen wisely - better value, that airport-free home holidays ...
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                                • Echo Lodge, Ballingarry, Co Limerick
                                  Echo Lodge, Ballingarry, Co Limerick
                                  At a time when everyone’s trying to find new ways to attract business, Ireland is missing a trick when it comes to pet friendliness. We lag way behind our UK neighbours in this – a mar ...
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                                  • The Fatted Calf, Glasson, Co Westmeath
                                    The Fatted Calf, Glasson, Co Westmeath
                                    The leading restaurants in major cities, and their chefs, tend to hog the spotlight at awards and, while the size of the population means more top rank establishments to choose from, excellence is ...
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                                    • Trocadero Restaurant, Dublin 2
                                      Trocadero Restaurant, Dublin 2
                                      Irish diners place a high premium on atmosphere – often rating it even above the quality of food when choosing where to eat out – but this restaurant, although certainly atmospheric, h ...
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                                      • Kin Khao Thai, Athlone, Co Westmeath
                                        Kin Khao Thai, Athlone, Co Westmeath
                                        There has been an ‘Ethnic Restaurant’ category in our awards since their inception in the early ‘90s. Originally interpreted as ‘oriental’, it now reflects the divers ...
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                                        • Walton Court Café, Oysterhaven, Co Cork
                                          Walton Court Café, Oysterhaven, Co Cork
                                          In a scenic location near Kinsale, a delightful listed building dating back to 1645 overlooks Oysterhaven Bay – and a courtyard conversion includes an atmospheric café, which has beco ...
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                                          • Longueville House Cider and Irish Apple Brandy, Mallow, Co Cork
                                            Longueville House Cider and Irish Apple Brandy, Mallow, Co Cork
                                            The Guide has always championed the best of Irish produce. It’s the philosophy behind our food recommendations and the Natural Food Award has emphasised this for many years, by specifically ...
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                                            • Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                              Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                              You can’t beat a real country house for a refreshing short break or to provide a perfect setting for special occasions and this lovely Georgian property has it all, as it’s handy to Be ...
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                                              • Sea Shore Farm Guesthouse, Kenmare, Co Kerry
                                                Sea Shore Farm Guesthouse, Kenmare, Co Kerry
                                                Competing with cut price hotels has been no joke for the owners of guesthouses and B&Bs in recent years, but the best have USPs that have allowed them to thrive - and it’s not hard to se ...
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                                                • The White Cottages B&B, Skerries, Co Dublin
                                                  The White Cottages B&B, Skerries, Co Dublin
                                                  What makes a great B&B? The best are lovely, friendly places to stay, with comfort, good food and interested hosts who anticipate their guests’ needs yet give them space – and who ...
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                                                  • Inch House, Thurles, Co Tipperary
                                                    Inch House, Thurles, Co Tipperary
                                                    For many people – especially families who live in cities – an Irish farm stay is just about the most idyllic holiday imaginable. And you won’t do better than this one, which co ...
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                                                      • - Best Country House Breakfast Award 2014 Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                                        Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                                        Like their delicious dinners, breakfast at this lovely country house is presented with stylish simplicity and with friendly, professional service to match. You'll waken to the aroma of baking brea ...
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                                                        • - Best B&B Breakfast Award 2014 The White Cottages, Skerries, Co Dublin
                                                          The White Cottages, Skerries, Co Dublin
                                                          Although there are plenty of other reasons why people love staying at this outstanding B&B, the delicious and sociable way that each day begins is a big draw. In addition to the usual cereals, ...
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                                                          • - Best Hotel Breakfast Award 2014 Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
                                                            Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
                                                            The kitchen team works hard to make food provenance and seasonality a point of difference throughout this attractive hotel, and this includes a good breakfast. As well as the usual fruits and juic ...
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                                                            • - National Winner Irish Breakfast Awards Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                                              Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
                                                              We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this is true in hospitality as well as ‘real life’. It’s an area that can be - and often is - a USP, both for ...
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