County Cork holiday chateau / country house: Kilcrohane West Cork

Joan and I have done some fairly extensive international travel over the years , including the Swiss and Italian
Alps, the Costa del Sol, and even the long boats on the Mersey Canal in the midlands of England and the Great Wall of China. But of all these fabulous treats, none has been as exciting, yet relaxing, as our stay at Dunmahon in the peaceful village of Kilcrohane on the wild and beautiful Sheep’s Head Peninsula in West Cork.

We were privileged to be with a small, diverse group of Irish traditional folk musicians from Connecticut, USA, so, at the end of the day, we would do what we liked to do best, we would play our favorite tunes of Ireland in the glassed sunroom on the side of the house.

There was no lack of space anywhere. We could eat in the dining room or the sunroom, or the intimate “pub room” for that matter. The bedrooms were spacious with spectacular views and the hallways were wide and stately, We loved the many nooks and crannies for cozy reading and the large kitchens where we always had nice Irish breakfasts before starting out on our day‘s adventures.

We did a lot of hiking on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula, especially down the end by the lighthouse. Also, over on Mizen Head, there were so many interesting sights to see, we would always run out of time.

Luckily we were there when the folk concerts were being held in the Bantry House in the town of Bantry, about a half hour up the peninsula. Ireland’s best musicians were playing and singing there at the time, including Christy Moore, who lived just up the road from Kilcrohane.

We loved the quiet, friendly town of Kilcrohane with its cozy pubs, stores and restaurants, just a small stroll up the rhododendron-lined drive of Dunmahon.

We would love to experience this all again, so we hope nothing ever changes.

My family spent two GLORIOUS weeks at Dunmahon House, perhaps the best vacation we've ever had! The peninsula is one of the few remaining areas of Ireland that haven't been overrun by tour buses. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular, and the whole area is honeycombed with hiking trails. The village is quaint & charming, as are the inhabitants. There's also a lot of lcoal history, well-documented in a couple books you can pick up at the general store, along with mouth-watering scones fresh out of the oven every morning. You can hike along the mountainous spine that splits the peninsula and get breathtaking views of Bantry Bay on one side and Dunmanus Bay on the other.
As for the estate, it's beauty and style equals that of its surroundings. There is no more beautiful home to be found on the entire peninsula! You enter the property through an impressive gateway, to find yourself on a driveway with beautiful and varied flowers, bushes and trees forming a natural tunnel. You then come around to the front of the house, with a gorgeous, 180 degree view of Dunmanus Bay. The grounds are immaculately maintained, and contain a fascinating variety of plantings, with its own garden from which you can pluck fresh vegetables.
Then there's the house itself, an old Edwardian villa which was COMPLETELY renovated on the inside a few years back. From the central hallway you ascend the beatufully-wooded staircase to the second floor, where you find all the bedrooms, expansive, yet cozy and homey, and each has its own bathroom, as well as its own view of the bay. There's also a great 2nd floor patio overlooking the bay. back on the first floor, the terrace room is a wonderful place to lounge and enjoy the scenery. The kitchen is huge, and has EVERYTHING, including the most amazing marble counters I've ever seen - they seem to come alive and change color as the light stikes them from different angles. While we dined out numerous times, we oftentimes prefered to just make dinner ourselves and enjoy the Dunmahon experience to the max, including picking vegetables and some of the famed Kilcrohane spuds right from the garden. And of course, no such abode would be complete without a great bar, which is off the main hallway. Our kids enjoyed the whole experience as much as my wife and me, as we all felt blessed to be able to take in the natural beauty that is Sheep's Head.
My only criticism is the estate's name, which by rightfully ought to be called "Paradise"!

We spent a number of days at Dunmahon in June of 2007 and had a wonderful, relaxing time. The house was very nice -- large enough to accomodate 4 couples and still allow significant privacy. We had no problem finding a little nook to read in or a shady spot in the garden to play Scrabble. Dunmahon is in a perfect location in a small village where we were welcomed by the locals at the 2 pubs, the post office/general store and a great little restaurant. The Dunmahon gardner even dug up potatoes for us for dinner one night. The hiking was spectacular -- going east (I think) you hike rolling hills and see an old castle and the spectucular coastline. We stopped at one home and bought fresh vegetables for dinner one night along with homemade relishes. To the west is a dock on the bay from which the local children dive and swim. The largest town nearby -- Bantry -- is about a 30 minute drive and has additional restaurants and shopping. Great trip -- we'd go back.