After a filling breakfast we hit the road. Our first planned stop was to do a little shopping, so we hit a well-known home furnishing store in north Dublin to stock up on a few bits. As is normal these days, we waited in line for almost 40 minutes, despite the long wait, the line moved pretty quickly. After wandering around for an hour or so and picking up a few bits we hit the road again in search of lunch.
It turned out there was an Avoca garden centre and café a short 20 minute drive away near the town of Dunboyne in Co. Meath, so we hit there.
Avoca is home to the well-known chain of fancy eateries, which shares the same name with the town. The Avoca cafés are known for their tasty food and treats. They also sell a selection of home products, cook books, gourmet food items, food to go along with clothing and plenty of Irish-made products.
But we’re here for the food and again, we had to wait to get in, this time we were in line about 25 minutes, which was not too bad. They had a pretty good system in place, you’re brought to your table, handed a number which is also used for contact tracing and then given a menu, once you decide what you like one person goes up to the food counter, places the order and pays. About 10 minutes later they bring the food down to your table. If you’d like anything else, same process.
Both of us went with the salad options, C had the quiche and I went with the sweet chili salmon. Red slaw, dark quinoa with herbs, curried buckwheat, fragrant carrots and a herb spinach and almond concoction made up the salads. All were tasty, we finished with a coffee and a small custard tart.
After browsing the shop and picking up a few chutneys and jams we hit the road for our first stop for the night, Kilkea Castle in Co.Kildare.
Our original plan was to try the K Club but it was booked out and by chance we came across Kilkea Castle, which both of us had not heard about before. There are actually hundreds of old castles, manors and houses that offer accommodation but are often not very well known.
Kilkea Castle also has a golf course on it’s grounds as well as several other amenities for guests. There’s a small garden area and plenty of space with a few walks to enjoy.
Check-in was a breeze and we got upgraded to a suite which was a lovely surprise. Our room was a good size and had a lovely view onto the gardens. The bathroom was a tad small but was spotlessly clean and had some fancy toiletry products. Given we were in a very old castle, the room was well maintained along with mod cons, overall it was very comfortable.
For dinner we booked the casual dining option which is offered in the golf clubhouse, at the back of the castle. The castle proper has its own fine dining restaurant but we had decided to keep it simple. Before dinner we grabbed a drink in the small bar, it has the usual selection of drinks but no craft beers or cider. There’s not too much space for sitting and having a drink, but we did get a nice spot by the very inviting fire. The barman who served our drinks was very friendly and hospitable.
We made our way to the clubhouse, were seated straight away and handed our menus. The waitress asked if we’d like a drink and I asked for two kir royals. To give her credit she was straight up and said she didn’t know what that drink was but would ask the barman. The barman did indeed know what the drink was and they were enjoyable.
The menu was as you’d expect, it had a short selection but covered all the bases, a burger, steak, chicken, soup etc.
To start I went with the seafood chowder, C opted for the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad. The salad was ok but nothing special, my chowder was tasty, needed a tad more seasoning but was tasty. For mains I stuck with the fish and chips, C went with the risotto. The risotto was not great, lacked seasoning and dry rather than creamy, it was not unpleasant but nothing like what it should taste like.
My dish was the winner here, the hake had a really nice crispy batter served with some decent chips and the usual crushed peas. It was not the best fish and chips I’ve ever had but it was tasty.
For dessert, we shared a lemon tart, which came with strawberry, raspberry glaze and a huge blob of raspberry ice-cream. We knew before ordering the dish it’d be of the bought-in variety and for the most part, it was ok, the ice cream was the best part.
We enjoyed one more drink before calling it a night. However I do have to say, our waitress, who did not know what a kir royal was, well she was exceptional, so polite, so friendly, top marks.
Breakfast the following morning was in the castle dining room. I went with the eggs benny, C kept it simple with the porridge. There was a small selection of pastries brought to our table along with regular white toast and soda bread. The porridge was fine, it was just porridge after all, however my eggs benny were ok, but the hollandaise sauce was way too vinegary. The coffee was as expected, not great but not bad.
Overall we enjoyed our stay at Killkea castle, it has about 15 rooms, although it does offer lodges to rent on site. The food was actually pretty decent, especially in the clubhouse where we dined, the breakfast could have been better but the service by the staff was fantastic, we were made to feel very welcome. If you’re into golf you’ll certainly enjoy a visit. We’ll certainly consider staying here again if we’re planning an overnight in Kildare.
After leaving Kilkea Castle, we hit the road heading south. I had pre-booked a tour of Johnstown Gardens and Castle but first we visited the Irish National Heritage Centre in Co. Waterford. The heritage centre has recreations of Ring Forts, Crannógs, a flour mill and several other recreations of an Ireland long gone. There’s also plenty of stuff for kids and this big kid had a go at some archery. It’s not one of the bigger attractions but you can easily knock about two hours out of it. There’s an on-site café which we did not try as our plan was to grab lunch at Johnstown.
Simpler times 
Straw beds 
Archery 
High Cross
We arrived at Johnstown about 45 minutes before our tour so we had enough time to grab a bite to eat. Now I’d like to put it down to the current climate, but something tells me that’s just the way it is, the choices on offer were pretty poor.
This was as good as lunch got in the Johnstown café…..
Mural inside the café, could not be more wrong….
Once done with lunch, we headed through to the agriculture museum section for a quick look around. Then we met our guide outside the main door of the castle. As it turned out they only started running tours last year and just re-opened two weeks earlier.
The history of the house was interesting, our guide was very informative and had an answer for most questions. Renovations are ongoing and only 11 rooms are currently free to visit, with the rest planned in the near future all based on how much money they can raise with people through the door, fund raising and sponsorship.
The tour lasted just over an hour and once done we walked around the gardens for about a half hour, then it was back into the car and onto our accommodation for the night.
Dunbrody House is owned by celebrity chef Kevin Dundon along with his wife. They purchased the property about 18 years ago offering accommodation and food.
There’s a short drive once off the main road up to the house with parking pretty much outside the main door. Once parked we grabbed the bags, checked in and made our way to our room. Our room is a suite and to say it was interesting would be an understatement. All the furniture is pretty old, there’s antique dressers, tables, some delph and the like and a very old shabby couch, which looked uncomfortable to sit in – and it was. C described it as shabby chic, me, shabby cheap.
That aside, the place appears clean and has a separate shower and bathtub in the ensuite, there’s also a view out to the garden. We dropped the bags and went for a walk around the surrounding area and the gardens. There’s also a “local pub” on the grounds but is closed due to Covid-19.
With not a whole lot else to do we grabbed a drink back in the house, which was served to us in one of the small lounges as we were not allowed to sit in the bar, which was fine. It’s actually called the seafood and champagne bar, where we’ll be dining for dinner.
After our drink we went back to our room watched some TV and got ready for dinner. Dinner was booked for 8:30 in the seafood and champagne bar. Slots in the dining room were full so this was our only option unless we fancied an early dinner at 6:00pm which is way too early for us.
We were seated in what’s called the private dining room which is basically a small lounge area, it was roomy with only three other tables set up for dinner. We were asked if we’d like a drink to start so we went with our usual choice kir royals. The barman was very pleasant and helpful offering additional information about the wines on offer by the glass.
We got our menus and as we figured, seafood featured a lot on the menu, we were also informed about the special of the evening which was lobster. C decided to go with the lobster as her mains and gravadlax to start, I went with the crab cocktail to get things going and although tempted with a fish dish I went with the striploin steak, not my favourite cut of meat but not my least either.
The gravadlax was very tasty and served with some pickled cucumber, leaves and some soda bread. My crab was very plentiful and tasty and the dressing on the salad was delightfully sweet and worked perfect with the tartness of the Marie rose sauce. A good start.
Mains arrived, the lobster was served with lots and lots of butter and a lemon sauce along with buttery mash and more dressed leaves. It was fantastic and well presented as all the lobster had been de-shelled and all you had to do was dive in.
My steak came with fries and fried onions. The onions were proper onions, none of that bought in frozen mush so many places serve. They were crisp, sweet and tasty, the fries were also decent and the béarnaise sauce was delicious and well balanced. Both dishes were really well executed and really tasty.
For dessert and just for kicks we kept it simple and shared a slice of apple pie which was served with a very tasty elderflower ice cream. The only criticism was the apples needed to be cooked down a little more, but overall it was tasty.
We had one final drink before calling it a night.
The following morning and due to restrictions the only slot we could get for breakfast was 11:00am, a tad late, but we made it work, we put the bags in the car, went for a walk then returned. Breakfast was nothing to write home about but they had all the bases covered. I went with the full Irish, C opted for an omelette. The coffee was ok as was the brown soda bread which we had the night before, although the toasted white soda bread was very tasty, once breakfast was done all that we’d left to do was check out and hit the road.
Overall we enjoyed our stay at Dunbrody House, I had my suspicions that perhaps the food would not be up to par, but it was – it was tasty and well cooked with very little pretentiousness going on. The staff were also friendly and polite, especially the barman, very professional.
Our room and overall look of the place is another story. Like our room, the rest of the house in parts really could do with a bit of investment and a good freshen up, yes sometimes this is an attraction, but for us and given the price you pay, you should feel comfortable and shabby just won’t cut it. Places like Dunbrody are a destination in their own right as they are usually a distance from the nearest village or town which is of course part of the attraction. A few more on-site activities would not have gone astray.
However we would certainly consider staying there again next time we’re travelling around that part of the country.
Once on the road after leaving Dunbrody House our first planned outing was to visit the Kennedy Homestead. This is where former U.S. president John F Kennedy’s family lived before his (JFK’s) grandfather set out across the Atlantic to the states.
Members of the Kennedy family still live in the house there today, there’s a small museum, audiovisual presentation and a member of the family (a distant cousin of JFK) gives a brief history of the family and what it was like when JFK visited the farm. It’s a small stop but interesting nonetheless.
Back on the road we headed to Hook Head lighthouse, the world’s oldest working lighthouse don’t you know. We had not booked to get in – a slight oversight on our part and the place was crazy busy, so rather than visit we took a few snaps and put a plan in place to return at a later date. Once on the road again our next stop was to visit the Dunbrody Famine Ship and Emigrant experience. This we had booked in advance and got there just before the start of our tour.
Basically this is a replica ship build just 20 years ago, of the type of ships that brought Irish families to the U.S. during the Irish famine. They were also known as coffin ships as the majority of people would not survive the journey. The tour begins outside at an eternal flame and our guide tells all about the history of the ship and a lot about the famine in Ireland and why so many Irish were forced to leave and try and find a better life in the U.S.
As you board the ship our guide will stop up and offer more information and is up for any questions you may have. The ship was very interesting and it’s difficult to imagine how anyone survived the 4 to 6 week journey across the Atlantic. It was all very informative and interesting, well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.
After the ship we grabbed a quick coffee in the upstairs café and hit the road to our accommodation for the night, Ballymaloe House.
I could probably wax lyrical bout Ballymaloe and especially Myrtle Allen along with the story behind it and the influence she had and has to this day, on Irish food and hospitality sector, but there’s just too much to squeeze in at this time.
We arrived late evening, parked up the car and checked in. The place was busy and the weather was fantastic. They have an on-site pool and some guests were already sitting outside enjoying an evening drink. We were brought to our room which is in a coach yard outside the main house which is known as the coach house. We’ve stayed at Ballymaloe before but this was our first time in the coach house. Over the many years that the house has been open, all the old stables, sheds, storage areas etc have been turned into guests rooms and our room is no different. There’s a small sitting area which leads nicely into another small reception area with very comfortable seats. The bedroom is really well appointed, spotlessly clean and fresh. We were informed by the staff member who brought us to our room that it was just recently renovated and updated.
The ensuite was a really good size, full size bath tub, double shower with underfloor heating, it was fantastic. Once we got settled we went for a short walk around the grounds of which there are several areas to wander around on the 300 acres of land.
Add to this, they have a pool, tennis court, croquet and one of the newest attractions, a sculpture garden. They also offer tours of the house, kitchen area if you ask, wine tasting and several other bits and pieces to enjoy your stay at the house and surrounding area.
Food at Ballymaloe is a big deal, a really big deal. As well as breakfast for staying guests they do lunch and dinner for non-residents – book in advance for either. As part of our package we have dinner included.
After our walk we got back to our room and got spruced up for dinner. As is always the case you get to enjoy a drink in the comfortable lounge area before your meal and you can also look over the dinner menu. While enjoying your drinks the delightful waitress will come and take your order, which proved difficult as the menu was impressive, on paper at least. But we decided and purposely ordered different dishes each from the 5 course menu so we would taste as much as possible.
A few minutes later just as we were finished our drinks our waitress brings us into the dining room to get things started.
We ordered another drink to begin, C stuck with wine I kept with my cider. For our first course, C ordered the oysters which came with mignonette sauce which was made with balsamic vinegar and shallots. The oysters were delicious, fresh as expected and the mignonette sauce worked perfectly. I kept my starter simple and went for the soup – carrot, coconut and lemongrass – which was served with sourdough and the famous Ballymaloe brown bread, it may have been just soup but it was fantastically smooth and deliciously tasty.
For our next course, C opted for the special of the evening, fresh caught mackerel, served simply with butter and lemon, again, fantastic. I went with the tender beef, served with leaves and horseradish crème fraiche, it was very tasty although the mackerel was the winner.
Next up our mains. C went with the poached wild salmon served with cucumber, green beans and a basil hollandaise which was outstanding. However my dish of guinea fowl, served with a honey and marjoram sauce, pork belly, red currants and baby beetroot, plus buttery carrots with new potatoes on the side was easily one of the best plates of food I’ve ever had, fantastic.
A small selection of cheeses arrived before the famous Ballymaloe dessert trolley. Once upon a time a lot of old restaurants used to wheel out a trolley of desserts but this practice is all but gone, but not at Ballymaloe and no one does it better. All the desserts on offer are made fresh using the finest local ingredients and it shows. It’s fun to look around the dining room watching guests faces light up when they see the dessert trolley.
You can have as much or as little as you like. C went with the chocolate meringues which came with a chocolate mousse and some of the praline ice cream, I took some peach cake, raspberry fool and also some ice cream. I was convinced my choice was the best, the fool was fantastic, the peach cake delicious and the ice cream just worked, of course that was until I tried C’s chocolate meringues, they were simply amazing.
With so many places buying in desserts and pastries some from as far away as the far east (which is crazy), Ballymaloe makes everything fresh onsite using the best of ingredients soured locally where applicable, clearly here we have a pastry chef on top of their game, top marks.
After our meal all that was left to do was retire for the evening so we rolled ourselves out of the dining room and back to our room for a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, breakfast was the next port of call. They usually have a breakfast buffet with homemade scones, breads and some pastries that you can help yourself to, but due to Covid-19, this has been suspended. However they now bring you some scones and breads to enjoy before ordering your hot breakfast. The scones and fruit bread were freshly baked and tasty. For breakfast I went again with the full Irish, C opted for poached eggs, we left feeling full and set up for the day – well at least until lunch time.
We had some time to spare before having to check out so we perused the kitchen supply shop and picked up a few bits, we also had time for one more stroll around the grounds.
As stated above, this was not our first time staying at Ballymaloe House, on previous occasions the staff, food on offer and overall comfort of the place shone through, however, on this visit it surpassed our already high expectations. Our room was charming, the staff could not do enough to make you feel welcome and comfortable – and the food was magnificent. This is the pinnacle of Irish hospitality and nobody does it better than Ballymaloe House.
Having left Ballymaloe House we continued our journey west towards Kinsale. We stopped midway at Mahon Point shopping centre to have a wander around and grab a coffee. Back on the road again we arrived in Kinsale just around 2:00pm, we’re staying at the Trident Hotel which is just along the wharf about an eight minute walk to the centre of Kinsale.
Kinsale is easily one of the nicest towns in Cork county, it’s compact and easy to walk around, it’s always busy and has a reputation as one of the best foodie destinations on the entire Island. Having visited before I can certainly vouch for this in fact to this day I still raved about a meal I had many years ago in a place called Hobys – which is unfortunately no longer in business.
Once checked in we decided to grab lunch at the hotel in the onsite bar, the Wharf Tavern and Terrace. The menu was extensive, C opted for the open sambo of prawns and smoked salmon, I kept it simple and ordered their chicken fillet burger. The open sambo was tasty especially the prawns, my burger was as expected, chicken in a bun with mayo…..enough said really.
After lunch we wandered around the streets of Kinsale which were busy, but not as busy if we were visiting under normal circumstances. A lot of the food places, restaurants, wine bars etc. were shut, choosing only to open in the evening. The few places that were open were steady but not too busy.
After checking out some of the gift shops and a few other bits we headed back to our hotel to relax for a little before getting ready for dinner. We booked a place called Bastion right in the centre of Kinsale, it’s been open for a few years now and received it’s first Michelin star in 2020.
We arrived into Bastion bang on time for our 8:00pm slot. We were greeted by a pleasant member of staff who brought us to our table. The table can seat four but was all for us. Our waiter introduced himself and informed us that they don’t hand out menus but that the meal (which is stated on their booking page) will be an eight course taster. We were asked if we’d like a drink to start – Kir royals as usual, which went down really well, so much so, I ordered another one…
We had an amuse busche to start which consisted of celeriac crisp with truffle and potato cubes and brioche topped with quail egg yolk and caviar. The celeriac was tasty and the brioche was not unpleasant but nothing special. This was followed by the first course of the evening – peas, served with a mint and basil sauce and pea sorbet. Two types of bread arrived to the table, a brioche along with a Guinness sourdough. There was treacle butter to go with the brioche and a caramelised onion butter for the sourdough, while the brioche was buttery and tasty the treacle butter sweet as you’d expect, the sourdough with the onion butter was fantastic.
Next was our fish course, turbot flavoured with saffron and summer vegetables which was very tasty. Charred broccoli followed next served with ricotta cheese and a lemon sauce, certainly different, it was reasonably tasty but a little too simple. Cured prawns arrived served with apple and horseradish and a kombu dressing, easily one of the best dishes of the night, it was fab.
Suckling pork shoulder with nectarine and mustard was next to arrive and again fantastic dish, really well cooked and flavoursome. Dessert was next, white chocolate with passion fruit, white chocolate ice cream and white chocolate meringue.
Finally to finish two more mini desserts, a tiny baked lemon meringue tart and a fruit jelly both very tasty and washed down with a refreshing dessert wine.
We were happy we booked Bastion, there was some tasty cooking going on along with some really good ideas. The wines we tried were all very good and all recommendations by our waiter who was friendly and well trained with really good knowledge of the food and drinks as you’d hope from a Michelin starred restaurant. While not all the dishes were to our liking and we felt some were a little too simple (the broccoli and feta) the overall experiencer was enjoyable, good food, great service, we’ll certainly visit again.
After our enjoyable meal in Bastion we headed back to our hotel for a good nights sleep. The next morning we had breakfast which was as you’d expect, nothing special but sufficed. The staff were friendly though which always makes a difference.
Once packed up we checked out and hit the road for the return journey home. Before leaving Kinsale we visited Charles Fort which is one of the best preserved forts in the country. Renovations are ongoing and will no doubt be ongoing for many years to come. The few building that are finished are closed due to Covid-19. They had a good system in place for visitors, people were only allowed in staggered groups of about 12. They also had a one way system in place, however, you could still wander a little to see as much as possible. A member of staff also give a brief history lesson on the fort.
The weather was fantastic and the fort offered some splendid views back towards Kinsale and out to sea and some of the surround hills and cliffs.
Once done we hit the road and decided as we had a lot of time to spare, we’d do a large detour to get home. We headed west towards the town of Clonakilty and onwards towards Skibbereen. We stopped up for lunch in a place called Rosscarbery, which easily one of the most disorganised cafes I’d ever been in. We just ordered two tuna sambos which were….fine. The staff were friendly though.
Back on the road again we continued towards the town of Kenmare which follows part of the famous Ring of Kerry. Although the journey is slow going it’s worth it for the fantastic scenery – when the weather permits. We arrived in Kenmare and continued on to Killarney which was busy, really busy, so much so you’d never think there was a pandemic J.
Soon after Killarney we stopped in Newcastle West to grab a coffee and a pastry before hitting the road again for the final leg home.
It was a long drive home but it’s nice to see some of the impressive scenery that the country has to offer.
That concludes our short 2020 Irish staycation in a time of plague :-). There’s a lot to see and do in our country and it certainly deserves to be explored and enjoyed. If nothing else, we feel that we contributed to the economy in our own small way and we encourage everyone to do the same.
We’ll no doubt take another short road trip over the coming months and we look forward to perhaps returning to some of the place we stayed another time.
As always hope you all enjoyed reading the blog,
Until next time,
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 