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Currarevagh House

Tranquillity, trout and tea in the drawing room - these are the things that draw guests back to the Hodgson family's gracious, but not luxurious early Victorian manor overlooking Lough Corrib. Currarevagh, which was built in 1846 as a wedding present for Harry Hodgson's great, great, great grandfather, is set in 150 acres of woodlands and gardens, with sporting rights over 5,000 acres.

Guests have been welcomed here since 1890 (almost certainly making Currarevagh Ireland's oldest guesthouse, certainly the longest in continuous family membership) and the present owners, Harry and June Hodgson, are founder members of the Irish Country Houses and Restaurants Association ('Ireland's Blue Book'), now joined by their son Henry.

Yet, while the emphasis is on old-fashioned service and hospitality, the Hodgsons are adamant that the atmosphere should be more like a private house party than an hotel, and their restful rituals underline the differences: the day begins with a breakfast worthy of its Edwardian origins, laid out on the sideboard in the dining room; lunch may be one of the renowned picnic hampers required by sporting folk. Then there's afternoon tea, followed by a leisurely dinner.

Fishing is the ruling passion, of course - notably brown trout, pike, perch and salmon - but there are plenty of other country pursuits to assist in building up an appetite again for Henry's dinners, all based on fresh local produce.

His 5-course dinner menus might begin with a salad of James McGeough's air-dried lamb, then a crab and watercress soup, followed by medallions of pork and finally a dessert such as chocolate truffle, and Irish cheeses; there is no choice but menus are changed daily and there is quite an extensive, fairly priced wine list.

: Children welcome (under 2s free in parents room, cot available at no charge). Pets permitted. Garden, walking, tennis, coarse fishing, pool table. Sea angling, equestrian and golf nearby. Rooms 15 (all en-suite, 2 shower only, 1 family room, 2 single, 6 no smoking). B&B €104pps, ss €35 or single room €90-104. No SC. 4 course D €45, at 8pm (non-residents welcome by reservation). Wines from €19.50. Closed mid Oct- Mar (house available for private hire in winter). MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

Take N59 to Oughterard. Turn right in village square and follow Glann Road for 6.5km (4 m).