Ballymaloe House
When farmer’s wife Myrtle Allen opened a restaurant in her Georgian farmhouse back in 1964, she did not dream that she was starting a quiet revolution in Irish food, or that her home would become the epitome of country house hotel style. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
When farmer’s wife Myrtle Allen opened a restaurant in her Georgian farmhouse back in 1964, she did not dream that she was starting a quiet revolution in Irish food, or that her home would become the epitome of country house hotel style. Mrs Allen died in 2018, but Ballymaloe remains a family concern. Daughter Fern runs the hotel with general manager Peter Loughnane. Fern’s sister-in-law Darina runs the cookery school, while in the kitchen, Ballymaloe head chef Dervilla O’Flynn remains true to Myrtle’s values. Menus are determined by what is best on the day of organic home-grown, locally produced and fished ingredients, and might include dishes such as seared Ballycotton brill with salsa verde, braised Ballymaloe pork or ruby beetroot risotto, with scallion champ and garden vegetables. A wide choice of bedrooms, which have undergone ‘continuous refurbishment’ during lockdown, includes some with French doors to a private terrace. The most novel is a split-level twin room in the 16th-century estate gatehouse. Breakfast brings fresh-baked breads, local honey, and free-range eggs from the farm.
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, closed Mon and Tues in Jan–Mar, Oct–Dec.
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.
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 €280, singles from €150. Set dinner 5 courses (Mon–Sat) €85, Sun night buffet €70.
Other reviews
Good Hotel Guide articles about
Ballymaloe House
- The Observer: 10 of the best hotels in Britain and Ireland
- USA Today: 20 of the most beautiful hotels in Ireland
- Huffington Post USA: Seven of the most beautiful hotels in Ireland
- MSN Travel: the top 10 wedding hotels in UK and Ireland
Comments about Ballymaloe House