Check out: Stay in a thatched cottage, a lighthouse or a gatelodge 

Killee Cottage, Batty Langley Lodge and St John's Lighthouse of The Irish Landmark Trust are all available to book for a getaway break

Killee Cottage is one of The irish landmark Trust's self-catering properties. Picture: Deirdre Casolani

Every year, National Heritage Week invites us to celebrate our phenomenal trove of historic attractions here in Ireland and build awareness of how to protect them. To get just a little closer to our historic gems, I decided to mark the occasion by actually checking into one. 

The Irish Landmark Trust, an all-island conservation charity, which offers three dozen iconic lodges, lighthouses and cottages across Ireland for rental, has long been on my staycation wish-list. And so take a step back in time, this week I headed for their thatched treasure of Killee Cottage near Mitchelstown to enjoy the epitome of country living.