TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe Cruise ships worldwide are to carry extra lifejackets as part of a package of safety measures being adopted following sinking of the Costa Concordia which claimed 32 lives. They will also restrict access to the bridge and adopt more careful planning of a ship’s passage. The new safety measures, which come into effect immediately, were announced by the European Cruise Council and Cruise Lines International Association. Every ship will now carry more than one lifejacket per passenger and passengers will no longer be allowed onto the bridge during tricky manoeuvres to avoid unnecessary distractions. However, bridge tours will still go ahead at other times.
Weekend Hotspot – Kilmahon House, Shanagarry, Co Cork
Kilmahon House, built in 1780, is a fully restored Georgian Country House offering a truly elegant accommodation experience at Shanagarry, East Co Cork. In fact to call it a B+ B is an understatement due to the passion and flare of owners Mary & Jeremy Martin. This charming couple both former House of Fraser executives purchased the property on impulse from a local pottery impresario in 2004 and commenced a refurbishment programme six months later. The house had fallen into
a state of disrepair with many parts structurally unsound with evidence of its Georgian heritage all but gone. Jeremy single handedly managed the project with the help and dedication of highly skilled builders and craftsmen around Ireland. The house has been rebuilt from within, its stone walls now benefiting from modern structural and insulating materials in tandem with decorative work and features. Mary’s interior design experience coming from a high profile retail career is evident throughout and her ability to merge the period aspects of the property with a modern day twist is remarkable. When we arrived at Kilmahon after our long journey from Belfast we were greeted by the friendly and delightfully spoilt spaniel/retriever cross, Tess. She is a lovely beige colour and has those “love me brown eyes all dog lovers are familiar with! Our hosts, Mary and Jeremy were on hand immediately with a warm welcome and embrace. Once we had settled in to our regal master bedroom, they met us in the drawing room with a light supper of smoked salmon & strong G+T! It did not take much encouragement to indulge in these tasty treats and the conversation flowed. Mary subtlety reminded us that dinner was included in our two
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night package and later that evening the splendid dining room adorned by local paintings was the perfect location for a night of fine wines together with a scallop starter locally sourced at Ballycotton bay followed by a main course of duck with root vegetables & creamed potatoes. Desert consisted of a trio of surprises including cheesecake, Belgian chocolate pot & trifle. We just about found room for a selection of local artisan cheeses followed by vintage port. Mindful of the Allen family connection at nearby Ballymaloe House I just marveled at the uniqueness of East Cork and the regions culinary excellence. set on an antique table of locally decorated Stephen Pearce Pottery. As you can imagine we slept well that night surrounded by fluffy white duvets and it was a treat to bathe the following morning in a traditional bathtub as big as a mini swimming pool in our ample ensuite. The breakfast spread was more than the two of us could handle with plenty of cereals, homebaked goodies including breads, scones and fruit loaf followed by porridge finishing with Jeremy’s scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Kilmahon House is ideally situated as a base for touring East Cork’s many attractions and activities. It is
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only a short walk to Ballymaloe Cookery School and the blue flag beaches of Garryvoe. Local activities include golfing at Fota & Waterock, fishing, horse riding, and guided walking. photography and remember art classes can be arranged through Mary & Jeremy directly. My favourite dining options in the area include Ahearn’s Seafood Youghal and in Midleton at the Farmgate which is also home to the Jameson Heritage Distillery offering guided daily tours. Cobh Cathedral and Titanic trail along with Fota House, Arboretum and Wildlife Park are also close by and a must see. Kilmahon House is available for luxury private rentals and exclusive house parties and I would highly recommend staying here not only for its 5 star plus appeal & food but also for the pleasure of the com-
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pany of Jeremy & Mary. We arrived as guests and left as friends www.kilmahonhouse. com
Weekly Best Buy
Luxury hotel group Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts opened its first European resort last month. The Jumeirah Port Soller Resort & Spa opened in Mallorca. The five-star resort is located on a cliff by the harbour village of Port Soller surrounded by a pine forest and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It will have 120 guestrooms and suites, all with a private terrace or balcony, in eight separate outbuildings. The hotel is offering a ‘Pay 4 nights, stay 5 nights’ opening offer through its tour operator partners for bookings to 30 June and from 14 September to 20 Decem-
ber 2012. The offer includes full breakfast, complimentary wi-fi in all areas and rooms, complimentary use of kids club, complimentary access to the spa, and complimentary shuttle service to Port Soller.The offer is for all room types, subject to availability, and is not available in combination with any other offer. In the next six months, Jumeirah is also planning to open Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa in Kuwait, and Jumeirah Creekside in Dubai Robert Walshe is a freelance contributor / broadcaster and Travel Editor for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com
Home and Away Extra British Airways has launched a new service from London Heathrow to Bologna. The route will be in addition to the airline’s 20 services a week to the Italian city from Gatwick. The airline also resumed flights to Tripoli last month with three flights a week on a Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. www. ba.com/italy Scotland attracted four million more visitors last year following the opening of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the relaunch of the
Riverside Museum in Glasgow. In total, 47m people visited Scotland in 2011. According to the Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre, which looked at 649 tourist sites across Scotland, the new Riverside Museum, which opened last June, attracted more than a million visitors. It said St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh saw 20% more visitors last year. Edinburgh Castle was the biggest paid-admission attraction, with more than 1.3 million visitors. www.visitscotland. com
with Kathleen Murray
How to negotiate the beach in summer Walking in the summer is very different to walking in the winter. In the cold weather there are not so many beach goers. It’s easier to pick a time and possibly not meet anyone during the course of the walk... or maybe just a few that you know already from being a beach walker. In the summer it can be more hectic. There are children playing in the sand and in the water. There are games of frisby or football and worst of all for the dog walker..... there are picnics. Lots of people are on holiday and take their dog with them
so there are unfamiliar dogs to get past as well. When you know a dog you know if it’s friendly or not but if you meet a dog that you don’t know then you don’t know whether it will be friendly to you and your dog or attack you. The best way to stay safe and stay out of trouble on the beach in the summer (in general) is to start off in the right way. It all starts before you leave the house. Take your dog out to the garden to do its toilet business. If it doesn’t want to go then maybe try playing a game with it so that the excitement will make it stop in the middle of
the game and do it’s business. Excitement is mostly what makes dogs go to the toilet on the beach. There is no need for a dog to go to the toilet at the beach in general but if you get caught out then it is vitally important that you clean up after your dog. There are little poop bags on a roll that attach to your lead that are very handy. You can buy them in a pet shop. Alternatively, you can just bring any plastic bag with you in your pocket. You may need to bring a couple just in case. It’s your dog so it’s your poo. As there are still no bins at
many beaches you can put the bag in any public bin you find or take it home with you (which is disgusting and there should be no need to do that). This does not only apply to beaches. Anywhere you take your dog for a walk should be left the same way it was when you arrived. No rubbish and no poo. There is nothing more upsetting or offensive to people than to see a dog go to the toilet on a grassy or paved area that is shared by others and then to see the owner just leave what fell out of the dogs behind lying on the road behind
them as if it was totally acceptable. Leaving poo lying around spreads diseases for animals and people alike. Pick up your dogs poo. People notice these things even though they may not say anything at the time to the person that walked off from the scene of the dump. This is something that gives dogs a bad name. Back to the beach. Make sure your dog is calm when it gets out of the car, this may take a while in the beginning. Keep it on a lead if it is not 100% under your control. If it does everything you say then keep it beside you for the first 5 mins or so and then
n Clean up your dog’s business - pet shops sell poop bags.
give it permission to have a run around. If you see another dog or a person out for a walk then call your dog back and put it on the lead until the other person has passed or just keep the dog beside you. Release it when the others have passed and then you and your dog will enjoy your walk and other people will feel respected.