Hills, history, and heritage aplenty in a trip to the Munster Vales

You’ll wax lyrical about the Munster Vales or take a selfie or ten – the landscape is breath-taking, writes Mary Cate Smith

The Rock of Cashel is a gem in the heart of the Munster Vales.

If I was a romantic, I’d write an ode to the Munster Vales. If I was musical, I’d belt out a little ditty in homage to its beauty. Since I am but a jaded realist, I take photos; the verdant landscape replacing my bathroom wall as the backdrop but still – I linger.

Arriving in Deebert House Hotel on a Friday evening, my partner and I were given the kind of welcome that larger commercial hotels just don’t have. Developed on the site of an old mill which dates back to the 19th century, the menu serves some lovely local produce from Effin cheese to Denny O’Sullivan’s black pudding, and steaming Bantry Bay mussels.