Organic farm, lovely B&B accommodation, meals based on their own meats, fruit and vegetables, online produce sales, self-catering, holistic treatments (5 minutes drive away in Glosna House Holistic Retreat Centre) – is there any offering that Bernadine and Jimmy Mulhall may have overlooked at their family farm?
Well, yes, there was - in 2012 they decided that they were missiing something very obvious: a venue, particularly for weddings. A beautiful barn conversion soon followed (it featured on RTE TV's 'At Your Service') and is now available for family occasions and other group bookings.
Situated pretty much on the Carlow-Kildare-Laois-Kilkenny borders, the location allows easy access to much of the South-East (and indeed to Dublin, should you wish to go there) but, with a real country living experience available on site, you may well prefer to stay put: set on three acres of natural woodland with three lakes and lots for children to do (and pets permitted in self-catering by arrangement), it’s an ideal family holiday destination, or for people of any age who enjoy rural life.
There are so many good things about Coolanowle that it's hard to know where to start, but their home-produced organic food and traditional home cooking has to be the trump card, especially as it is served with a generous dose of genuine hospitality – tea with home baked scones on arrival, great breakfasts, lunch and dinner by arrangement – even a traditional Sunday lunch featuring joints of their own organic meats.
Dinner is a treat, enjoyed in a bright antique-filled room with double doors opening out for summer dining. What could be better than an organic feast such as chicken and ham terrine with homemade chutney to start, followed by roast rack of rosemary lamb with home grown vegetables - and apple crumble to finish? It’s sociable too, with guests divided between two communal tables.
The accommodation is also delightful – not only the very comfortable rooms in the main house, but also the two self-catering cottages and a log cabin, which are ideal for families.
The atmosphere is homely and informal, with an open fire in the drawing room for guests to relax beside, and that lovely feeling of being properly in the country on a working farm, with walks and lots of interesting things to see and do.
And, when the time comes to leave, you’ll have a breakfast to remember too, including their own delicious home-cured bacon and home-made sausages and newly-laid eggs among the treats. If every visitor to Ireland could experience this kind of hospitality, we’d be beating them from the door.
