In a former post office between Kenmare and Glengarriff, French master chocolatier Benoit Lorge makes exquisite chocolates for some special restaurants and hotels, bespoke orders for special occasions and also a range for retail sale. They are on sale ... more...
An Grianan is a unique educational centre that combines a break (mid-week / weekend / week) with courses, notably in cookery and crafts.
An Griana?n, meaning 'the sunny place', is centred on a gracious country house dating back to the 18th century.&nb ... more...
Well known for many years through her involvement with the Avoca restaurants - she was a major contributor to their cookbooks and head chef at Kilmacanogue, Powerscourt and Suffolk Street as well as setting up the café in Rathcoole - Eimer Rains ... more...
In a stunning location on the lower slopes of Slievemore mountain - overlooking Keel Lake and the dramatic cliffs, shore and crested sea beyond - this aptly named lodge and restaurant/wine bar lays claim to being one of Ireland's best-kept secrets, and ... more...
At this temple to superb wine in the old Silver Tassie venue, wine industry veteran David Whelehan has assembled a seriously impressive team around him – including Martina Delaney, who garnered many admirers during her tenure as sommelier in l&rs ... more...
New name, new location - but the same great team. Stephen McArdle and Morgan VanderKamer moved their wonderful Barrows Keep restaurant from Graiguenamanagh to Thomastown in 2019, and now they've been reinventing themselves again in Waterford since summ ... more...
When Declan Ryan sold the legendary Arbutus Lodge Hotel in Cork city in 1999, it was obvious that retirement would not suit him. So, inspired by breads he had enjoyed in America and France, Declan set about learning the art of sourdough baking from som ... more...
Whether for a special joint of meat (local Connemara Hill Lamb, perhaps), or to top up with speciality foods, a visit to this wonderful shop is de rigeur for foodies when heading out west from Galway for a break in Connemara - and again when heading b ... more...
Self-confessed food lover Billie O'Shea owns and runs this beautifully located purpose built cookery school, offering a wide range of cookery classes and courses for everyone from beginners to experienced cooks wanting to upgrade their skills.
T ... more...
The original producers of Lavistown Cheese, Roger and Olivia Goodwillie are mainly known nowadays for the rural courses they run at their Study Centre - and for their superb sausages, which have been a stalwart in the restaurant at Kilkenny Design for ... more...
With a rich historical and maritime legacy, East Cork has a truly unique variety of attractions to offer the visitor.
It is a haven for family holidays with a huge range of activities and attractions to keep the whole family entertained for hours.
In this extensive county, the towns and villages have their own distinctive character. In West Cork, their spirit is preserved in the vigour of the landscape with the handsome coastline where the light of the famous Fastnet Rock swings across tumbling ocean and spray-tossed headland. The county is a repository of the good things of life, a treasure chest of the finest farm produce, and the very best of seafood, brought to market by skilled specialists.
The town of Killarney is where the Ring of Kerry begins and ends for many, among the lakes and mountains where they are re-establishing the enormous white-tailed sea eagle, has long been a magnet for visitors. Across the purple mountains from Killarney, the lovely little town of Kenmare in South Kerry is both a gourmet focus, and another excellent touring centre. As one of the prettiest places in Ireland, Kenmare puts the emphasis on civic pride.
That Galway Bay coastline in Co. Clare is where The Burren, the fantastical North Clare moonscape of limestone which is home to so much unexpectedly exotic flora, comes plunging spectacularly towards the sea around the attractive village of Ballyvaughan.
Connemara, the Land of the Sea, where earth, rock and ocean intermix in one of Ireland's most extraordinary landscapes, and is now as ever a place of angling renown - you're very quickly into the high ground and moorland which sweep up to the Twelve Bens and other splendid peaks, wonderful mountains which enthusiasts would claim as the most beautiful in all Ireland. Beyond, to the south, the Aran Islands are a place apart.
Rivers often divide one county from another, but Fermanagh is divided - or linked if you prefer - throughout its length by the handsome waters of the River Erne, both river and lake. Southeast of the historic county town of Enniskillen, Upper Lough Erne is a maze of small waterways meandering their way into Fermanagh from the Erne'e source in County Cavan.
Co Cavan shares the 667 m peak of Cuilcagh with neighbouring Fermanagh. No ordinary mountain, this - it has underground streams which eventually become the headwaters of the lordly River Shannon, Ireland's longest river that passes south through many counties before exiting at the mighty estuary in Limerick. A magnet for tourism now with boating, fishing, cycling and walking-a-plenty.
Between the sheltered bays at the foot of the Glens of Antrim, the sea cliffs of the headlands soar with remarkable rock formations which, on the North Coast, provide the setting for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway.
A selective companion guide to our famous broad-based online collection, the ‘glovebox bible’ includes a uniquely diverse range of Ireland's greatest places to ...