Review: a winter’s stay at Ballymaloe House

Tom Breathnach heads to East Cork to sample the hospitality on offer at Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe House: "never fails to wow"

First Impressions

Even as an East Cork native who regularly whips along the backroads of Shanagarry, the sight of Ballymaloe House never fails to wow. I guess it’s unusual for a country house. The property isn’t shrouded by a guarding of trees nor sequestered behind a towering estate wall but rather it’s a landmark sight for all that pass it and buttresses arguably the finest swathes of the countryside surrounding Ballycotton Bay.