Dining out in style for charity

A butler in top hat and tails and a bevy of maids in lace-trimmed caps and aprons serving afternoon tea — is this Downton Abbey or Dunmanway?

That’s the question for the hundreds of visitors to the West Cork town for afternoon tea, overseen by a butler and served by an army of uniformed parlour maids in a candle-lit, lace-curtained dining room.

Over this weekend, hundreds of visitors will be greeted by Jeeves at the door of Cox’s Hall in Dunmanway, before being led by Rosie, the chief parlour maid, to tables dressed in the finest lace and brightened by antique china, tall candlesticks, and traditional flower arrangements.