I set off from Belfast with my chauffeur and companion for three days, the very affable best-dressed driver ever, Bernard McDonagh. He is not only Irish and proud of it but comes with a witty sense of humour and a great sense of belonging. His attire and his car opens doors to the best and most picturesque castle hotels in southern Ireland. Bernard makes everything “happen”… whether it is tasting Irish stew in a Dublin pub, discovering native oysters in Galway or seeing The Book of Kells at Trinity College Library. He does private tours of Ireland in his new swanky Mercedes S-Class and also has a small set-up operating coach tours for groups.
This is my first trip to Ireland and I discover a couple of “need to knows” very quickly. Ireland is part of the EU so Euros are used here, not pounds as in Northern Ireland. Celtic as a language is quite prominent. All signs and shop names are both in Celtic and English and the language is being actively encouraged as a second language. The food of southern Ireland is basic and almost penitent and yes, potato does play a big part… from boxty bread and pancakes (made with potato and flour) to all manner of sausages, meat loaf and stews cooked with them. Nobody however tells you about the wondrous native seafood… oysters cooked in cream or eaten raw with Guinness and mussels and cockles and fabulously fresh salmon.
CASTLE KUMAR
So we set off one early morning from Belfast and drive through the green Irish countryside to Kilronan Castle. It is actually a large country house standing in 40 acres of parkland on the shore of Lough Meelagh in County Roscommon and although it is an 18th century house, it was only converted to a hotel and spa eight years ago. We have lunch in the drawing room overlooking the grounds but I am stunned to hear that the Chef de Cuisine in their formal fine dining restaurant, Douglas Hyde (named after the first president of Ireland), is someone called Sushil Kumar!
The menu is 100 per cent Irish, featuring ingredients sourced from producers in Roscommon and the surrounding counties in particular the famous Fermanagh beef. I taste freshness in every bite which makes me realise that it is really all about the produce. There is very little seasoning in dishes here except salt and pepper. They also have a Roman-esque Elemis spa, which alone is worth the drive.
We drive on winding roads laid on peat marshes and I see miles of farm walls just made with stones piled on top of each other without any cement. The green is captivating even if it is a blustery windy day.
OH SHUCKS, GALWAY!
By evening we are in Galway by the sea. I meet Suzanne Meade of the Meyrick Hotel who also lives in Galway and is part of the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival. It is the world’s longest-running international oyster festival, started in 1954. During the three days of the festival, over 40,000 oysters are consumed and it attracts international celebrities. The festival is sponsored by Guinness who are of the opinion that Guinness can be drunk with oysters as opposed to only a dry white wine and Champagne. I tried but am not convinced about the pairing.
That evening, I dine at Morans about 20 minutes out of Galway. It’s a modest, thatched tavern which is over 300 years old and still family run. Catherine Moran serves us a plate of local native oysters from the oyster beds just a stone’s throw away. These are flat oysters and found only in months that have an ‘R’ [like March but not May]. The other commonly found oyster is the Pacific or rock variety which was introduced to Ireland in the ’70s and which Ireland supplies to France.
his team)!
They are served on a bed of edible seaweed, very common along the Irish coastline.
I love oysters and eat them anywhere I can find them. I considered myself informed on the subject. However, the native Galway oyster blew me away. It is in the world of oysters what Krug is to champagne — once you taste it, you’ll never drink anything else with as much pleasure. The rock oyster is plump and deliciously briny and metallic as all good oysters are but the native Galway one is really a notch above. Morans also serves mussels, clams, local salmon and crab in many classic ways — smoked, salad, chowder, Provencal and a scrumptious mussel and clam linguine in white wine and cream.
I am staying at the House Hotel in Galway, terribly convenient in the heart of the Latin Quarter. It’s party night as I arrive back at the hotel and I see the entire lobby and bar area full of local, trendy folk having a blast as the Irish love to do.
The next day, I take an early morning walk along the seashore… the air is crisp and cold and fresh… it is mesmerising and as lyrical as a Seamus Heaney poem. I hear there is a farmers’ market nearby and discover local cheeses, seasonal vegetables like pumpkins and lots of local seafood especially mounds of crayfish.
On the way back, I stop at a shop to buy an Irish woollen scarf and also discover the Claddagh ring, which originated here. There are plenty of great places to stay and visit in Galway. The G Hotel is ultra contemporary and super chic and Meyrick, which was an old railway hotel, is traditional and very central.
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BOND-LIKE INDULGENCE
We set off to discover more castle hotels… first, Ashford and then Dromoland. Much has been written about the fairy tale Ashford castle and many TV series have been shot here. In the heartland of Mayo county it is a real castle with a drawbridge of sorts and is 700 years old. It has had a fair share of international celebs, from actors and presidents to royalty. Rooms are impeccable and very tastefully decorated, food is sublime, bars like out of a Bond movie, and service second to none. You can play golf, indulge in falconry and go fishing, shooting and riding. What I find most stunning is the view of the water from the back of the hotel and the drive up to the castle crossing the bridge.
Dromoland was built in the 16th century and has original suits of armour greeting you on check-in. Again a huge estate (450 acres) on which you can indulge in what now seems to be the usual super-luxury activities in Irish castle hotel life. It is so elegant and perfect, I feel decidedly under-dressed.
WORTH EXPLORING FOR A LONGER TIME
We then drive through an area known as the Burren, 16km of 6,000-year-old limestone rock from the Ice Age, with 52 types of snails and 3,000 different floral plants…. It’s hazy purple because of the heather… through the towns of Limerick and Tipperary and on to Dublin for a wee beer and early dinner.
Entering the city, you can’t help noticing the enormity of the Guinness brewery, like a mini metropolis with its own restaurants, fire station, bars, ambulance service and 5,000 staff. I want to try an Irish whiskey. No Bushmills here, it’s southern Ireland so I have to try Jameson, triple distilled like all good Irish whiskies. Truly smooth and sublime.
I complain to Bernard that I’ve had too much posh food and really must try something more basic and Irish before I leave. He suggests Irish stew at the Brazen Head pub. Irish stew is Ireland’s national dish. Traditionally this is a thick stew made with mutton (sheep are a familiar sight in the countryside) as opposed to baby lamb and slow cooked for several hours with just potatoes and onions. Today, other vegetables like turnips and carrots have crept in along with herbs like thyme and parsley and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It is exactly what you need on a cold winter night in Ireland. I try Guinness again… this time with the stew. No, still not rocking my boat.
The next morning we go to Trinity College, Dublin, to see The Book of Kells, something on my personal bucket list… a masterwork of Western calligraphy, representing the pinnacle of insular art or illumination containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.
We drive through Dublin, much of it with its large white Georgian frontages and squares, reminds me of London. We stop for a peek at the very fashionable Shelbourne Hotel where Michelle Obama stayed and then drive through the magnificent Phoenix Park (the biggest park in the world at 1,790 acres) with roaming deer and green green grass. I even manage to catch a glimpse of Van Morrison’s house on my way to the airport.
I wonder if there is anything Bernard can’t pull off! Thank you, Bernard (if you want to reach out to him, email bernardjmcd@gmail.com). I am ever grateful. Never have I achieved so much in so little time. Ireland is definitely worth exploring for a longer time. For the luxury traveller in search of history, friendly folk and superb service, the castle hotels are something dreams are made of…. and if you hanker after oysters, then Galway is your one-stop shop, and if you love beer and whisky and having a good laugh any day of the week, the Irish have a sense of humour second to none.
Karen Anand is a culinary consultant, food writer and entrepreneur.
In recent times her name has been synonymous with farmers’ markets.
Follow her on www.facebook.com/karenanand
