Belle Isle Castle
Belle Isle Castle is an eight-bedroom bed and breakfast in Northern Ireland owned by the Duke of Abercorn. Hikers will enjoy 25 planned walks in beautiful County Fermanagh, within a 1/2 hour of the castle grounds. The castle itself sits on one of the 10 islands owned by the estate and connects to the mainland via bridge. It is furnished with antiques and artwork and has a tennis court, croquet lawn and small boats to hire. Golf and game fishing on Lough Melvin and the river Mourne are popular with guests, as is the on-site cooking school. Bed-and-breakfast rates as of March 2010: $90 to $120.26 per person. Minimum stay is four persons for two nights. Dinner at 8 p.m. nightly costs $63.
Bell Isle Castle
Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh
BT945HG, Northern Ireland
+44-02866387231
accommodation @ bellisle-estate.com
belleislecastle.com
Enniscoe House
Enniscoe House is a listed Heritage House of Ireland, still owned by the 12th generation of the same family. You will find old family portraits on the walls and a fire in the grate. A restored, walled garden produces the estate's organic vegetables. A small agricultural museum has been expanded to house a tearoom and shop, and you can search for your County Mayo ancestors in Enniscoe's genealogy center. But it's fishing that draws the passionate anglers to the western part of Ireland. Enniscoe House sits on the shores of Lough Conn, home of the famous brown trout fly fishing season from April to September. Cloonamoyne Fishery is an angling service that supplies boats, a fishing lodge, and experienced gillies (professional fishing and hunting guides) on Lough Conn. Enniscoe House has six bedrooms, welcomes dogs and is open from April through October. Low-season bed and breakfast rates begin at $134 to $150 with 8 p.m. dinner for $76.50. High season rates are $150 to $177 as of March 2010. Credit cards accepted.
Enniscoe House, Castlehill, NR
Crossmolina, Ballina,
County Mayo, Ireland
+353-096-31112
dj@enniscoe.com
enniscoe.com
Longueville House
Longueville House is a listed Heritage House in Mallow, County Cork, in southwest Ireland. The O'Callaghan family owns this 1720 Georgian mansion on a 500-acre wooded estate in Blackwater Valley. Golfing, rambling, salmon and brown trout fishing on the river Blackwater, and walk-up shoots are offered, as are dawn chorus walks in May and mushroom hunts in October. The equestrian activity is superb: the Dunhallow Hunt, one of the oldest in Ireland and the British Isles, sets off from the estate. The famed Cork racecourse is in Mallow. About 45 minutes away, in Millstreet, one of Ireland's biggest show-jumping competitions takes place. There are lots of opportunities to ride and beautiful country to ride through during your stay. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and from early January to mid-March. Bed-and-breakfast rates from $109 to $170 low season; $123 to $245 high season, per person, as of March 2010. Dinner from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., $81.75 to $129.45. (Vegetarians and vegans welcome; estate-grown organic vegetables are served.)
Longueville House
Mallow, County Cork, Ireland
+353-022-47156
info@longuevillehouse.ie
longuevillehouse.ie
Article Written By Benna Crawford
Benna Crawford has been a journalist and New York-based freelance writer since 1997. Her work has appeared in "The New York Times," "The Washington Post," "The Miami Herald," on CBS, CNN, ABC and in professional journals, trade publications and blogs. Crawford is a certified Prana Yoga instructor, currently studying green nutrition.
