A half-mile avenue meanders through parkland to Roderick and Helena Perceval’s classical mansion overlooking the ivy-clad ruins of a Knights Templar castle on a lake.

‘Country house luxury’ abounds in this Georgian mansion, run by owners Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray as a luxury hotel.

It’s ‘something of a mystery tour’ getting to this ‘fine-looking’ pale-pink Georgian house, ‘but utterly worth it’, says a Guide inspector.

Approached through 40 acres of manicured grounds embracing woodland, lake and lawns, the Bowe family’s ‘ambitious, guest-centred hotel’ occupies an ‘imposing Regency house with sympathetic modern addition’.

Opened as a sporting lodge by owner Henry Hodgson’s great grandfather in 1890, this Victorian country house is surely Ireland’s longest-standing hotel under family ownership.

Approached through rolling deer-nibbled pastureland, ‘gracious’, welcoming Simon and Christina O’Hara provide an ‘immensely enjoyable’ slice of Irish country house living at their Georgian pile in Yeats country.

‘Utter comfort – a fire lit after breakfast in the drawing room, drinks from the bar when needed.’ An endorsement from a regular visitor, following another stay at this family-run hotel.

The relaxed, welcoming atmosphere at this Georgian country house on a working farm makes everyone feel instantly at home. Young guests have woods to explore, a tree house to discover, animals to feed, new-laid eggs to collect.

It’s a glorious drive through rolling countryside to Anne and Warwick O’Hara’s manor house, where guests are welcomed with tea and ‘a delicious variety’ of home-made cakes.

In a small harbour town between the foothills of the Twelve Bens and the Owenglin river where it meets the Atlantic, Julia and Paddy Foyle run their B&B with ‘generosity of spirit’.

‘We were charmed by the hotel and its attentive staff.’ Guide regulars declared John Edward Joyce’s country house hotel ‘in a class of its own’ in 2019, with praise for the man himself: ‘Mr Joyce has a gift for hospitality.’

A ‘splendidly labyrinthine’ Victorian pile overlooking a lake, this castle in name only is Ireland’s brilliant riposte to the corporate blandness of many modern hotels.

‘In a stunning location’ overlooking Lahinch Bay, Antoin O’Looney’s small hotel is upgraded from the Shortlist this year, on the urging of a reader who delighted in all that she found.

In ‘beautifully maintained’ grounds, from orchards to a Japanese garden, Beryl and James Kearney’s early 17th-century mansion is ‘memorable for all the right reasons’, reports a Guide stalwart in 2019.

A stone farmhouse abutting a 15th-century castle, at the heart of a working dairy farm, is run as a guest house by Jack and Kathleen Mernagh.

Small wonder visitors linger at this inviting, creeper-covered Georgian mansion on the Clew Bay shoreline.

In a magical place on the shores of Lake Caragh, a serene hotel in a Victorian-style manor. Its name translates as ‘Hill of the Fairies’, a tree-covered knoll nearby.

A tree’s length from medieval Carlingford, this pretty Georgian house sits in mature walled gardens.

High above Cork harbour, on the outskirts of this historic port town, the flower-laden garden of this grand Victorian house creates a cheering welcome.

Phil and Rhoda Nolan’s friendly B&B is well located for exploring the medieval town with its castle and cathedral, just across the River Nore.

Off the beaten track, four generations of Verity Butterfield’s family have lived in this ‘impressive’ Georgian house, with ‘divine’ views down rolling meadow to a spring-fed lough.

A favourite haunt of the Star Wars cast and crew while filming on offshore Skellig, this family-run guest house on the harbour front is a force to be reckoned with.

Much loved by a loyal following, this ‘very special’, creeper-clad pink Georgian country house is a beacon of hospitality in wild Connemara.

Set in 18 acres near the unspoilt Slieve Bloom mountains, this is a wonderfully relaxed and relaxing family home. Cots, kid’s supper and child beds are offered, with babysitting on request – though it’s worth staying in for Paddy Flynn’s superb dinners.