IRELAND’S TOPS FOR A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER
Here are 13 great places to stay on your next trip to the Emerald Isle...
O’CALLAGHAN’S BAR, COACHFORD, COUNTY CORK
Just a two-minutes drive from the famous Inniscarra Lake, O’Callaghan’s is one of Ireland’s most popular angling pubs with five en-suite bedrooms. It’s been a specialist angling holiday destination for years, with large tackle storage, bait fridges and information on many under-fished local spots. Contact: 00353 21 7334023
OAK LODGE BED & BREAKFAST, PORTUMNA, COUNTY GALWAY
Portumna offers the mighty River Shannon for roach and hybrids and sprawling Lough Derg for bream as prime fishing spots, and Oak Lodge Bed & Breakfast is right in the heart of the action, a cosy family home with well-equipped rooms plus full use of the Shannon Oaks Hotel facilities a minute’s walk away. Contact: 00353 87 7924161 Visit: www.oaklodgeportumna.ie
THE BUSH HOTEL, CARRICK-ON-SHANNON, COUNTY LEITRIM
Take your pick from 60 rooms at this massive hotel on the banks of the River Shannon, each bedroom having Wi-Fi throughout with pub and restaurant dining and an all-day carvery. Anglers have the famed ‘mudflats’ section of the Shannon to go at, plus more than 30 lakes, all packed with roach, hybrids, bream and perch. Contact: 00353 71 9671000 Visit: www.bushhotel.com
CORRACLOR LODGE, ATHLONE, COUNTY WESTMEATH
An out of town bed & breakfast 3km from Athlone, Corraclor Lodge offers great fishing on the River Shannon and Lough Ree to keep both pike and coarse anglers happy. En-suite rooms are well-appointed and if you fancy a night out, you can catch a pint in Sean’s Bar, Ireland’s oldest pub in Athlone town centre. Contact: 00353 90 6493307
WHITE HILL COUNTRY HOUSE, CASTLEBLAYNEY, COUNTY MONAGHAN
Lough Muckno is an Irish angling success stories and this country house puts you just yards from the banks of this roach and hybrid-packed lake with the Dromore river system at Ballybay a short drive away. Stay in one of the eight guest rooms that can cater for all sizes of party. Contact: 00353 87 2504299 Website: www.whitehillcountryhouse.com
ARRADALE HOUSE, CARRICKMACROSS, COUNTY MONAGHAN
Tourist Board-approved, anglers are well catered for at this farmhouse bed & breakfast, with a large tackle room and bait fridge facilities plus flexible mealtimes and boat hire alongside a tour of the local lakes for first-time visitors! En-suite rooms have TV and tea-making facilities, with full Irish breakfasts served in the spacious dining room. Contact: 00353 42 9661941 Website: www.arradale.com
AGHNACARRA GUEST HOUSE, LISBELLAW, COUNTY FERMANAGH
This ia a guest house that could almost have been built for anglers, with bait and tackle rooms, a large drying room, licences and permits available and up-to-the-minute information on where to fish, along with evening meals served up to 7pm! It couldn’t be in a better location than the Fermanagh Lakelands near Enniskillen, with the mighty Lough Erne and the river of the same name on your doorstep. The seven guest bedrooms are en-suite, made up of four twin and one single bedrooms and two double/family rooms. Contact: 02866 387077
GLEESON’S TOWNHOUSE, ROSCOMMON, COUNTY ROSCOMMON
Lanesborough and the hot-water section of the River Shannon are steeped in Irish angling history, and are just nine miles away from this 19-bedroom property, the River Suck being the same distance away, making Gleeson’s the perfect base for those who love their river fishing. Relax after a busy day of catching roach and bream in the fully licensed restaurant and if you want to splash out, check out the superior rooms offering a king-sized bed and luxury bath! Contact: 00353 90 6626954 Visit: www.gleesonstownhouse.com
OLD FORGE, BANAGHER, COUNTY OFFALY
You’ll be spoilt for choice at this eightbedroom guest house run by Ray Duthie, an angler who has his own bait and tackle shop on site! You’ll need his advice too, as just 200 yards away is the River Shannon on top of the Grand Canal with the River Brosna a few miles away, to say nothing of the surrounding dozens of lakes. Contact: 00353 05 0951504
AVONDALE BED & BREAKFAST, ROOSKY, COUNTY ROSCOMMON
Lough Bofin and the River Shannon are less than three miles away from this family-run bed & breakfast in the famous fishing town of Roosky. On offer are four en-suite guest bedrooms and a hearty Irish breakfast every morning! Contact: 00353 71 9638095 Website: www.avondaleroosky.com