Five-star luxury and thatched Irish houses don’t normally go hand in hand – with the latter, you normally take the rough (and sometimes uncombed) with the smooth.

THE ancient art of bell- ringing, which goes back 700 years in Limerick, still fills the Sunday morning air.

THE stylish dash of uniformed Army officers on horseback, the elegant glamour of Miss Ireland Blathnaid McKenna and a background of rare and glorious sunshine made a cocktail to whet the appetite of any romantic.