Beara essentials in Castletownbere

IT’S OFTEN been said that we have a lot in common — Hollywood hunk Colin Farrell and I. Apart from the obvious similarities — the simmering intensity, the brooding good looks and the sheer natural talent — we have another thing in common after my recent visit to the scenic Beara Peninsula in West Cork.

We have both stayed in the beautiful four-star waterside Berehaven Lodge, just outside Castletownbere.

Colin stayed there while filming Neil Jordan’s Ondine in 2009. I spent a weekend there with my wife and three kids, nine, seven and 17-months, earlier this month to sample the delights of the peninsula which is already reaping the benefits from its inclusion on the Wild Atlantic Way.