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Conveniently located just an hour from Dublin or Belfast airports, the Carroll family's 18th century house is attractively situated in its own walled grounds on the edge of Carlingford village, with views across the lough to the Mountains of Mourne.
Guests can mingle in the little bar or relax beside the drawing room fire, which is very pleasant for residents to return to, and especially welcoming for non-residents who are just coming in for dinner.
Accommodation is shared between four rooms of character in the main house, each with sea or mountain views and charming bathrooms, and eight newer bedrooms which are offered in a separate building. As with all old properties, it is wise to discuss your preferences when booking - and the choices include a ground floor room with shower which, while not having a special designation, is wheelchair accessible.
The lovely location and the fact that Carlingford is such a charming village make this a very desirable destination, especially since Ghan House joined Ireland's premier marketing association, the Blue Book (Irish Country Houses, Historic Houses & Restaurants), in 2015.
The current owner-manager, Paul Carroll, has been discreetly upgrading the already comfortable accommodation in recent years, and introducing modern amenities for business meetings and group events.
Paul's mother, Joyce Carroll, established one of Ireland's first cookery schools here; she is still involved with it and the current focus is on programmes tailored especially for groups. Joyce is also responsible for all of the jams (about six) and marmalades served at Ghan House, and her recipes are behind many of the treats that appear on the breakfast menu, including 'Joyce's Homemade Muesli' (a particularly interesting mixture, with grated fruits and honey added to the mix each day), the house wheaten bread and the dried fruit compotes. Breakfast is open to non-residents and well worth considering for business or before heading up for a day in the hills. The hot choices include classic poached kipper with butter, classic free range egg dishes and The Ghan House Fry, featuring local Cooley sausage and free range eggs, alongside Kell'y's black and white pudding, tomato and mushroom.
Cookery school (groups by arrangement; details on request). Conference/banqueting (55/85); house available for exclusive use. Garden; walking. Children welcome (under 5s free in parents' room; cots available without charge; baby sitting arranged). No pets.
Restaurant:
Dinner is, of course, a high priority at Ghan House. The style is contemporary, based mainly on quality home-grown (vegetable, fruit and herbs), home-made (breads, ice creams, everything that can be made on the premises) and local produce, notably Cooley lamb and beef, dry cured bacon, free range eggs - and seafood: oysters are synonymous with Carlingford (there are also mussels from the lough and lobster from Ballagan, while smoked salmon and crab come from nearby Annagassan).
A six-course midweek tasting menu offers great value: the first course might be St Tola goats cheese and spinach ravioli; second course, wild mushroom and celeriac tart; third course, natural smoked haddock with potato rosti; fourth course, chef’s choice of sorbet; fifth course, fillet of Antrim beef with kohlrabi fritters; and sixth course, Valrhona milk chocolate mousse.
A user-friendly set dinner menu with about five choices on each course is also priced by course, allowing considerable flexibility without having a separate à la carte, and there's a fairly priced wine list.
