Adare and Killarney

The 19th-century neo-Gothic architectural masterpiece, today Adare Manor is a five-star luxury resort. Set on 840-acres of parklands and gardens along the banks of the River Maigue, with a championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio which is host to the 2027 Ryder Cup.

After all the travel with our Golf & Music Tour to Ireland, taking us up to Royal Portrush in the North, followed by our week in England — going to Royal St George’s in Kent — you’d think we would be content to just stay home.

However, the O’Donoghue Ring Collection of Hotels rewarded us for all the business we do with them with an overnight stay at The Killarney Plaza Hotel, including dinner in The Tan Yard Restaurant, so off we went.

Adare Manor Resort

On the way from Clare to Kerry we rewarded ourselves further with lunch at Adare Manor’s Carriage House Restaurant. As soon as we decided on this plan, I was already looking forward to a glass of “Little Beauty” — a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, that we had there before. I would also be delighted to see the monumental bronze of a teddy bear named Marching On, striding confidently in the direction of the Fairy Woodland. Adare Manor will be on everybody’s radar in Ireland and around the world, since it is the venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup.

Killarney Plaza Hotel

Located on the doorstep of Ireland’s oldest national park, the Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa blends classic 4-star luxury with a vibrant town centre and an abundance of outdoor adventure and natural wildlife

We checked into our sumptuous suite at Killarney Plaza Hotel and had time to rest before joining our friends Adrian and Irene Morrow for dinner at The Tan Yard. The restaurant is designed to be a casual experience, featuring delicious dishes with food sourced from local producers. I would highly recommend it. Kevin had the ribeye and I asked him to get the gruyére mash as a side dish so I could taste it. My goat cheese, in a filo parcel, infused with truffle, baby beetroot and quince was a perfect small meal for me.

The Muckross Park Hotel

Muckross Park Hotel & Spa is set amongst 25,000 acres of pristine nature, in the heart of Killarney National Park.

To see this grand hotel, nestled in the Killarney National Park, is to want to stay there and avail of all the amenities the resort has to offer. The property exudes an old-world charm, but it is thoroughly up-to-date with every modern convenience you could want, including air conditioning in every guest room. This is truly 5-Star luxury.

The minute I entered the elegant lobby, I noticed a large work of art beckoning to me to come have a closer look. The extraordinary oil painting of George Bernard Shaw, by Irish artist Mark McFadden, was masterfully created with a palette knife. It was one of a series of portraits of Irish authors, that included WB Yeats and Oscar Wilde. Shaw stayed at this hotel in 1923. One of his famous plays, Pygmalion, premiered in Vienna in 1913. It was adapted many times, and was developed into the all-time classic stage musical My Fair Lady. The film version came along in 1964.

A pithy quote by George Bernard Shaw, accompanies the portrait:
“Our duty in this life is not to find ourselves but to create ourselves.” Amen.

The original carriage house, dating back to 1795, has been sympathetically restored, and is now a cozy bar. The entrance to the Spa is an absolute show-stopper. Pure magic.

When I come back, toting my suitcase, I will also be sure to dine at The Yew Tree Restaurant. It looked sublime, set in the original Victorian lounge of the hotel, and counts 2 AA Rosettes among its awards.