At your service: Meet the people who make Irish holidays so special

From mobile saunas to ice cream parlours, Jen Stevens meets the people transforming the traditional Irish seaside summer

What every holiday really needs are the feeders and the minders. People who fill your tummy with delicious Irish food and people to help you relax and recover from a hectic life. We meet the people who make Irish holidays special.

Sauna by the sea

Bronwyn Connolly and Olan Crowley at Wild Wellness Collective sauna at Garrettstown, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Last September Bronwyn Connolly accidentally started Wild Wellness Collective, her mobile sauna business. What began as something to ease her own pain has turned into a favourite place of relaxation for the swimmers at Garrettstown beach in Cork.

As we’ve all turned more towards outdoor pursuits in the last two and a half years, Bronwyn’s business is just one of a myriad of new enterprises we never knew we needed but are very glad to have.

“It was never supposed to be a business,” Bronwyn laughs. “I actually bought the sauna for myself because I have arthritis and when I couldn’t get into saunas during lockdown I was having really bad flare-ups and I thought, well this is going to be a lifelong condition so I’ll do something about it. I bought the sauna thinking that I could put it in my home place but when that didn’t work out, I popped it up on a trailer so I could bring it anywhere.

“People immediately loved it, they were asking if they could get in, how much it cost and so over the winter we went down every weekend and built up the business slowly. By Christmas, we were booked out and I’ve bought a second one.”

This summer, Connolly has been collaborating with like-minded businesses around Cork on experiences such as sunrise yoga and sauna sessions, silent discos and dividing her time between Oysterhaven and Garrettstown. The sauna is now open seven days a week. She has brought Olan Crowley of Bean and Berry on board as a collaborator, and as fans of the sauna will attest, there is nothing quite like finishing your sweat with a Bean and Berry smoothie bowl pre-ordered on booking.

• See Instagram: @wildercork

What’s the Scúp

If you’re a fan of ice cream you may already be a big fan of Scúp, the Wexford gelato made by Will Deveraux and his family. Using premium ingredients and a traditional Italian recipe, Scúp is in shops and on menus around the country. The pandemic wasn’t an easy time, but the business is back stronger than ever.

“We were very lucky in that we have frozen products but even with that we had to let everybody go, including myself. We really hit pause for 18 months and then hit the reset button. It was hard for us to put everyone on the Pandemic Unemployment Payments but it was important they had a business to come back to as well. I’m delighted they were all very happy to come back and join the team.”

Local Irish food has had a big renaissance and consumers have been great at embracing the local and Irish message.

“I think it’s par for course now, everyone is looking for local products but not only that, they’re looking for really well made, quality products too. People’s palates have been educated a bit more. We’re now looking for the best food and the best possible ingredients rather than just whatever’s available. People will go the extra mile to find the really good stuff now.”

As well as working with Avoca, where Scúp has four pop-ups and Brown Thomas in Dundrum where a Scúp counter just opened for the summer, Will runs a shop on Wexford Quay that is very popular with tourists and locals alike. When it comes to flavours, Will says he can’t keep vanilla in stock it’s so popular, but he has a real soft spot for a very local flavour.

“Wexford strawberry is a banger. Obviously, I’m a Wexford boy, so I use Wexford strawberries for them. Greenhill fruit farm produce our strawberries for us and they’re unreal. When the fruit gets going, the days get warmer and the nights are cool, you can’t beat them.”

• See Instagram: @scupgelato

Wild relaxation

Daniel McKee of Wildbay Retreats on the Causeway Coast at Whitepark Bay. Picture: Alan Lewis - PhotopressBelfast.co.uk

On the rugged North Coast, Daniel McKee is an oasis of calm. His business is just months old but is already busier than he could have imagined. He launched Wildbay Retreats in September and has clients coming from all over Ireland as well as from England and Scotland to fully relax.

“This is something I’ve been yearning to do for years. I’ve been on retreats all over the world and, having seen so many places, I really understand the beauty of the North Coast and what it brings to a retreat.

“I think it’s such a perfect environment to hold retreats because of the experiential factor of the surrounding area, the beauty, but also the sheer power of the wind, the rain, of nature. It’s completely changing. It’s very transformative. And then when you mix that connection with meditation, I think there’s a real beauty point.”

Daniel’s retreats take place at the Cloughorr Estate outside Portrush in Co Antrim. A stunning house with its own dipping pond, it’s just a couple of minutes from the sea and the cliffs where some of Daniel’s movement meditation takes place.

This is very much a combination of celebrating body, mind and the beautiful environment.

“We keep the retreats small so that it’s a real personalised experience for people. It really is for everyone; you can come with a friend or a partner but we really welcome solo travellers too. Some of the best retreat experiences I’ve had, have been on my own. On retreat, it’s very much a detox of body and mind. There’s delicious vegetarian food, no alcohol and though there is WiFi we encourage a digital detox too. If you really want to give yourself to the experience, then it’s really good to let go of your phone. It’s a place that you can really let go.”

Daniel runs Wildbay Retreats with his partner Matt and you may recognise the couple from TV’s Married at First Sight. Matt now lives on the North Coast which Daniel says he’s really embracing.

As well as weekend retreats, Daniel runs day courses and private tours. If you’re holidaying near Portrush and would like to experience some meditation or a guided walk he’s available to book.

• www.wildbayretreats.com

Delicious Donkey

Chad Byrne at The Hungry Donkey, Horse Box food stall at Faha Court, Killarney. Picture: Don MacMonagle

Killarney-based chef Chad Byrne bought an old horse box during lockdown, and crowdfunded the cost of turning it into a working food truck called the Hungry Donkey and has been cooking up a storm ever since.

“We are just coming up to our first year in business, operating for about eight months of that as food trucks are seasonal, which is actually really nice as it gives you time to breathe and try out new things and work on new dishes.” The food and hospitality industry was particularly hard hit during the pandemic but Chad never stopped working, diversifying, helping and planning.

“It has been a rollercoaster two years for everyone. All things being equal, it’s a wonder we are all still standing but catering in Kerry thrived and survived all things considered. There was a common bond to help others succeed and a real community was formed. I set up a team of chefs to cook ‘meals on wheels’ in the Tralee and Killorglin area and was working with many amazing chefs I hadn’t met before as well as with the remarkable team in Ballyseedy Gardens where we produced the goods. It really showed what’s best about our industry.

“Then we literally burst on to the scene with the Hungry Donkey that was an amazing journey that just went from strength to strength.”

Since the launch Chad and team have built a real dining destination with people travelling hundreds of miles to sample his take on fast food.

“It’s easy to implement good menus but it’s consistency that makes you last. The plan is to build on our reputation and continue to do our style of food and just enjoy it, that’s the most important part, to just cook with a smile and have fun, I really believe you can taste that in the food.”

Chad has a new home for the truck too and is looking forward to a summer of new pop-ups, collaboration and fun.

“We are based in The Courtyard, Faha, Killarney. Sean has built a huge, awesome outside area at the pub where you would while away a few pints easy. There’s lots of seating and a huge outdoor events barn and it’s just stunning, we see it as a destination dining and music venue, it’s great to be able to cook our food in such a nice scenic spot.”

So what does Chad recommend you order if you visit Ireland’s most raved-about food truck?

“We have our Donkey Dog going on the menu shortly. It’s Kielbasa sausage glazed with honey, mustard and sherry vinegar, rolled in smoked almonds and pistachios, topped with our homemade lardo, an organic fried egg and fermented chili sauce in a white bun baked locally by O’Sullivan’s bakers, in Killorglin. It’s the real deal, solid ingredients, influences from Poland with the Kielbasa and Turkey with the kind of baklava style nuts, and locally sourced bread, honey and eggs. And of course, it’s served with our Donkey beef dripping fries. It’s the dish that kind of sums us up, unique but in a good way.”

• Instagram: @the_hungrydonkey

Cliff top capers

Clare Wheatley takes part in Coasteering which is a combination of adventure swimming, climbing, scrambling and cliff jumping, at Real Adventures Connemara. Picture: Ray Ryan

Clare Wheatley runs Real Adventures Connemara, a coastal activity business, offering coasteering (combination of adventure swimming, climbing, scrambling and cliff jumping), kayaking, rock climbing, and surfing to holidaymakers on the west coast for more than a decade.

While the pandemic years were hard, she was thrilled to see so many Irish people getting out into the fresh air and water.

“We’re going into our 11th season this summer. Before the pandemic it was really, really busy and we were looking towards a really good 2020.

“There were a lot of tour busses looking to book and bringing big crowds with them and when we realised that that wasn’t going to happen it was pretty disappointing. We’d been growing the business and were just getting on the radar of those bigger companies, so it was a blow.

“But on the positive side when we were able to [finally] open [in 2020] and again last summer we couldn’t have been busier. We could have done with more staff to be honest with you. It felt like the whole country just wanted to be outside and trying new outdoor activities. It was fairly intense.”

Clare didn’t miss the international tourists too much. Irish people always make up the biggest number of bookings, followed by the UK, the US and the rest of Europe. While many businesses suffered from Covid cancellations, Clare wasn’t hit too badly.

“I think it’s actually worse now because people are mixing more. It wasn’t too bad for us in the first couple of years because I think people were being extremely careful but I see it more now. You really just have to take the hit though; I’d never be comfortable holding onto people’s money and I think most people are being very considerate about cancellations and letting you know.”

What Clare has been most impressed with over the last couple of years is the way Irish people are embracing outdoor living.

“I’ve always found the Irish people to be the hardiest of them all, but I suppose the ones that I’m dealing with are the ones that are booking my activities,” she laughs.

“I think there was definitely a fear of the ocean which is quite typical of island nations around the world but that seems to be getting better now with time and knowledge.”

Clare has a team of 10 that work at Real Adventures Connemara during the peak season but she’s also busy training up the adventure sports guides of the future. Her six-month-old and 20-month-old are real beach babies and are learning the family business fast!

• www.realadventures.ie

Stand up for your sights

Dianne Slowey of Simply SUP at Lough Conn in Mayo. Picture: Paul Mealey

Another woman making water sports work for her is Dianne Slowey who owns Simply SUP, a stand up paddle boarding business based on Lough Conn in Co Mayo, a business born out of the pandemic.

“I am in my third year, and I actually set up Simply SUP because of Covid. In my previous life, I was airline crew, based in the UK, and, obviously, with Covid, I was furloughed and wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I had been paddling here on the lake for years and it was my sister who said that someone was going to set something up here and when they did, I’d kick myself that it wasn’t me who did it and she was right. So that’s how it started.

“It just exploded and grew into this big thing that I didn’t expect at all and now it’s more or less full-time, so it’s great. It’s been brilliant. I think that the interest in outdoor activities and in exploring our country from Irish people has been fantastic over the last two years. I think it’s really turned into this lifestyle we would never have expected before.”

Because Dianne started during the pandemic, she’s looking closely at what will happen this summer and whether Irish holidaymakers will continue to take their breaks at home.

“I’m confident in my customer base because a good 60 or 70% is local. I’ve been lucky in that sense and a lot of it’s return custom and that’s great as well.”

Dianne’s sister, who is a qualified Pilates instructor, has joined her in the business now and they see a lot of family groups and hen parties looking for a different way to celebrate.

“It’s really beautiful here but I think that the northwest of Ireland has been very untapped for tourism. Even when I bring locals out, they say, ‘wow, we never knew this was here, it’s amazing.’ People are so completely blown away by the beauty of it. It is stunning but it’s not a very well publicised spot and so we haven’t got the tourist market that Galway or even south Mayo has.

“What we do get is a lot of fishing tourism over here and we’re getting a lot of wives and kids who are delighted to discover us and have something that they can do that’s not watching dad stand in the river. They’re delighted,” Dianne laughs.

• www.simplysup.ie

Boating Bounty

Elizabeth and Brendan Curtin of Kerry Aquaterra adventures by land & sea on the Skellig Bounty at Knightstown, Valencia Island. Picture: Dan Linehan

In Kerry, Brendan and Elizabeth Curtin decided to take a leap of faith in 2019 and build their own boat.

“Myself and my wife Elizabeth had been operating boats and boat tours [with their company, Aquaterra] for ages and ages down here and in 2019 we decided we would custom build our own boat. The big drive behind it was that we would keep the boat really suitable for all age groups. Mobility was key and we wanted to be able to offer trips to the special places down in Valencia Harbour, in South Kerry, where you can go where there’s no pier, there’s no jetty. It’s completely off the beaten track. We go places no one else can go to, we go into the caves and onto the beaches and you’ve got the luxury of just walking on and off the boat. It’s great for young people but also very much for the older people. Years ago, we would have a fish box for you to step out onto and the grannies and granddads would be worried about dislocating hip and stuff like that.”

A new boat, with all the commitment that takes, made the pandemic years hard for Brendan and Elizabeth and he remembers 2020 very clearly.

“There’s a date there that really resonates in my mind. We launched the boat on the 12th of June 2020. You know, by the 12th of June you’d probably expect to be at least six or eight weeks into the season, so to be only launching the boat then was hard.

“We only had a few local families then and maybe a few people that have holiday homes down here for those couple of weeks but then when the first of July came it was just crazy. We’d never seen likes before, so we had two great months, September was good too and then unfortunately it was back into lockdown. But that year really was zero to full throttle.”

What Brendan saw both in 2020 and 2021 was families travelling together, something he loved.

“We had great seasons of family tourism where it was three generations all out in groups. There’d be six or eight or 10 of them on board and they’re all having a ball together. That was great to see, it was always one of our big drivers to be able to bring people out to our great scenery, special places and make it really accessible for everyone.”

The summer months can be challenging for Brendan who’s not always down home with Elizabeth and the boat. “I work full time for the Irish Coastguard and that’s generally in the office in Dublin. It’s really good but it’s hard knowing that the boat is out on the water, spinning around and they’ve got guests on board, having the craic time while I’m up here at my desk. Some days work can be very, very challenging.”

• www.kerryaquarterra.ie