Ballymaloe House

Shanagarry, Co. Cork

‘We enjoyed a walk in the extensive grounds with the hotel’s biodiversity champion,’ write readers on a visit to this legendary Irish country house hotel that is passionate about locally sourced food. More

Good Hotel Guide Review

‘We enjoyed a walk in the extensive grounds with the hotel’s biodiversity champion,’ write readers on a visit to this legendary Irish country house hotel that is passionate about locally sourced food. In the 59 years since the late Myrtle Allen opened the Yeats Room restaurant in the family’s Georgian farmhouse, the modest enterprise has grown into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue. True to the founding principles, head chef Dervilla O’Flynn devises dishes around produce from the farm and walled kitchen garden or locally sourced. For instance, rack and leg of lamb with coriander, lemon and 
crushed swede; cauliflower with squash and spinach 
korma, turmeric rice, coconut dahl dumplings and raita. Refurbished bedrooms are charmingly, traditionally styled. ‘We had a well-equipped and spacious courtyard room with its own conservatory,’ continue our readers, who were also shown the cellars by the sommelier. Breakfast is all that it should be, with home-baked breads, organic, unpasteurised butter, jam from garden fruit, Ballymaloe free-range eggs, labneh with local honey and pistachios. (Tony and Shirley Hall)

Hotel details

Address

Shanagarry
Co. Cork
P25 Y070
Ireland

Telephone

00 353 21 465 253

Bedrooms

32. 12 in annexe, 4 on ground floor with wheelchair access.

Open

all year except 25/26 Dec, for dinner and Sun lunch (light lunch for residents only, Mon–Sat).

Facilities

drawing room, bar, 2 TV 
rooms, conservatory, restaurant, private dining, wedding facilities, 6-acre gardens, tennis, 5-hole golf course, swimming pool, cookery school, café/kitchen shop, EV charging, restaurant wheelchair accessible, partially adapted toilet.

Background music

none.

Children

all ages welcomed, extra bed €75.

Dogs

small dogs in 3 bedrooms (no charge), not in public areas.

Credit cards

Amex, MC, Visa.

Prices

B&B doubles from €310. Set dinner 5 courses (Mon–Sat) €85, Sun night buffet €70.

Comments about Ballymaloe House

Lovely 2 night break prior to returning home. We had a well equipped and spacious courtyard room with its own conservatory. Good and friendly staff all through the hotel, and excellent food and wine. We enjoyed a walk in the extensive grounds with the hotel’s bio-diversity champion, a tour of the cellars with the very helpful sommelier, and a trip to the nearby coast. Good retail opportunities at a small shop on the premises. - Tony and Shirley Hall - October 2021
It didn’t disappoint. Myrtle Allen had only recently died and her spirit lingers! Food at dinner and breakfast still as good as ever. - Mary Milne-Day - May 2019
Remains a flagship in its idiom. The welcome was warm, and the hospitality first class. Utter comfort (so a fire lit after breakfast in the Drawing Room on an unremittingly sodden day); drinks from the bar when needed. The dinner was outstanding on both evenings. Very good wine list. The breakfast cold table is outstanding,. Cooked things as you would expect in Ireland. - Richard Parish - October 2017

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