It’s A Long Way — but not that far at all when you stock up on local produce
Mae and Molly: took the long way to Tipperary's natural splendour
My favourite photo of the summer is of my daughters holding apples freshly picked, standing in a wildflower meadow in the blazing sun. It’s one of those idyllic moments that you wish for on holidays and want to record.
I took the photo at The Apple Farm, just outside Clonmel, in Co Tipperary, on a gloriously sunny day at the end of August. The farm is a magical place, with two friendly donkeys, bunnies that hop and hide in the tree trunks in the orchard, and a shop full of local produce, with which you fill the boot of the car to try to recreate that farm magic at home.
Tipperary was a revelation. We had bypassed it often en route to other counties that seemed a more obvious choice for a staycationing family. We won’t make that mistake again.
We visited on our final trip of the summer of 2021. My gang of four have been to family hotels, Air BnBs, self-catering houses, seaside locations, rural retreats, and city breaks, but all in places we had visited pre-pandemic.
Our last trip of the year was going to be different: It was time to venture out of our comfort zone and discover something new. With daughters aged three and 18 months, we wanted to try some family-friendly outdoor pursuits, eat some good food, and see a part of the country we hadn’t been to before.
For a weekend break, we didn’t want to travel too far from our home, in Co Kildare, and so Ireland’s Ancient East was the perfect choice. We settled on Tipperary — a county we didn’t know that well, but which has lots to offer for a family trip.
Hotel Minella, in Clonmel, is a perfect family retreat. The welcome is warm and immediate, and the hotel is child-friendly. Big sigh of relief for mum and dad. We had interconnecting rooms that were spacious and had everything we needed, including crayons and colouring things for them, a travel cot, and a door that closed, so mum and dad could relax in the evening. Hurrah.
The hotel is the perfect location from which to explore the surrounding countryside and you’ll absolutely want to do that. From our room, we could see the Suir blueway, which has 53km of paddling trails and a 21km cycle route. We decided to cycle it and Tom, from Blueway Bike Hire, delivered two bikes and a cycle buggy to the hotel’s leisure centre.
After a good breakfast, we headed off — hotel breakfasts are one of the great joys of any holiday and this one doesn’t disappoint. As we strapped the girls in, people stopped to ask us if knew where we were going, what to look out for, and where to stop for drinks, great views, and ice-cream treats.
Obviously, the girls only heard the ice-cream part!
The blueway is stunning: You meander along paths with ruined castles, orchards, fields full of happy cows on one side and the Suir river on the other.
My favourite part of it is how well utilised it is by the people who live locally. There were friends walking, couples running, people fishing; and just generally enjoying it.
Sometimes, we think of these amenities as being great for tourists, but I loved how much it is being used by everyone.
The last year has turned us all on to outdoor living and exercise and the greenways and blueways around the country are integral to that.
We cycled to the charming village of Kilsheelan, where we stopped for coffee and the aforementioned ice cream, before heading back to town. You can continue all the way to Carrick on Suir if you have children old enough or legs fit enough.
Part of our reason for visiting Tipperary was that we knew that the food would be good. They have some of the best producers in the country and we drove up to Dooks, in Fethard, to sample some of them for lunch. Dooks also has a beautiful shop and I came away with a nice stock of ingredients for home.
For dinner, we booked into Befani’s, in the town centre — somewhere I’ll definitely revisit.
With antipasti and pasta that good, I knew there had to be an Italian connection, or an Italian chef, in the kitchen and, lo and behold, I discovered that it’s owned by an Irish wife and Sicilian husband. My husband had an enormous, truly delicious steak. Everyone was happy.
As part of Ireland’s Ancient East, you expect history and Tipperary has it in spades. There’s so much to see and do. The Butler Trail is a drive you can do with the aid of an app and takes in Cahir, Clonmel, and Carrick-on-Suir. Along the way, you’ll discover Cahir Castle, Ireland’s best-preserved medieval fortress, and Ormond Castle, a truly wondrous place that was built in 1565 for a visit from England’s Queen Elizabeth I.
There are wonderful gems all over the county, including the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History, a state-of-the-art museum in Clonmel, where you can immerse yourself in stories of castles and conquests, murders, courage and superstition.
The rest of our weekend was spent splashing in the excellently huge pool at the Hotel Minella. The hotel serves local crisps (O’Donnell’s), apple juice, and ice cream (Boulabán Farm), which is a lovely touch.
History, good food, friendly people, and lots to do are the mark of a great break and this was a great break. It’s a joy when you’re able to discover new favourite places and this goes to the top of our list.
We stopped at the very well-known James Whelan Butchers to add to our Tipperary haul, before departing for home. We’ll be eating like locals for a while yet.
- Jennifer was a guest of Fáilte Ireland, whose ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign is encouraging Irish people to experience the joy of discovering the many hidden gems that Ireland has to offer. If you need inspiration on where to go and what to do, visit discoverireland.ie. This domestic short break has been in accordance with Fáilte Ireland’s health and safety policy relating to Covid-19 Government guidelines.
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