Heading for Kildare this summer? Here are a few tips.

Heading for Kildare this summer? 

Here are a few tips.

Foal, with foster mother in background

County Kildare is readily reachable from many parts of the country, just about two hours from Cork for instance. It’s convenient and is also full of attractions, big and small. Here, you'll find a sample, just a sample, of the county including The National Stud, Japanese Gardens, the shopping mecca that is Kildare Village, and the amazing Newbridge Silverware, featuring its core collection of silverware, along with the Museum of Style and a splendid restaurant on-site. You’ll need a place to stay, and below we spotlight two very hospitable and well-run hotels, Lawlors in Naas and Clanard Court in Athy.

Olivia Newton John (Museum of Style)

The story of Newbridge Silverware, its Museum of Style and excellent café

Princess Di's India dress

Naas is a superb base to explore Kildare!

Walking home by the Grand Canal from the Friday Country Market in Naas (one of the best-kept towns in Ireland)

Ready for shopping? Sample the many designer shops in Kildare Village

Coolea & Spinach Crêpe, in Kildare Village

The National Stud and Japanese Gardens 

Japanese Gardens at National Stud. Refreshments are available all day in this on-site café.
Meals are based on local produce even if the building style echoes a Japanese equivalent.

Clanard Court Hotel, your 4-star base in Athy

Bath in the bedroom. Very convenient at Clanard Court.

Strong. Ballet dancer with boxing gloves.
An eye-catching mural by Solus on Barrow Quay, Athy

Stay at Lawlors of Naas

Vi's in Lawlors

The recently refurbished and expanded Lawlor's Hotel in Naas is a great base for Kildare's many attractions

The recently refurbished and expanded Lawlor's Hotel in Naas is a great base for Kildare's many attractions.

By the banks of the Grand Canal

Didn’t realise until a recent stay in the town’s Lawlor’s Hotel that Naas is so central to many attractions and destinations. Racegoers knew this all along as you have courses nearby in Punchestown and the Curragh as well as one in Naas itself.

Speaking of horses, the Irish National Stud is just over 20 minutes away in Tully, Sallins (with its Kildare Brewery and barge trips) even closer, Newbridge Silverware and its Museum of Icons are close enough also as is Kildare Village. Fancy going underground? Then Newgrange is about 65 minutes by road.

Walking home by the canal from the Friday Country Market

Much of Wicklow and Dublin is under 50 kilometres from Naas. Like to check out a distillery or two? Then take the train from Sallins/Naas and you’ll be sampling in one of the distilleries in Dublin's Liberties in under an hour.

Lawlors themselves have quite a few tips on their website about what to do in the locality. Naas is located in the heart of Irelands Ancient East where Kildare and Wicklow also have so much for you to see. 

This modest cottage in the Irish National Stud is where big money deals are finalised.

“Naas recently won the Purple Flag award which means our town is accredited as a safe place to go out, with a diverse and high-quality range of venues and entertainment types for your visit. Click on this link to learn more about Kildare’s history around The Sport of Kings. 

Kildare offers a range of special interests in addition to horse racing and horse riding, such as golf, motor racing (Mondello Park), fishing, ecology, cruising and walking. In September 2006, The K Club hosted the most prestigious international golf event "The Ryder Cup" which is only a short drive from Lawlor's. The county’s many heritage attractions are of great importance and provide much interest to the visitor. 

One of the famous old doors at Lawlor's.
They have been sourced from around the world
and often feature in wedding photos.

Note the heritage towns of Athy and Kildare, Leixlip where ‘Guinness’ was first brewed, walk along Arthurs Way and the University town of Maynooth. Visit the many houses and gardens such as the magnificent Castletown House or experience Peatland World Visitor Centre that interprets the wilderness of the Bog of Allen.” 

More from Lawlor’s here. 

Our main purpose in travelling up from Cork was to visit the Irish National Stud in Tully, a terrific visit. Not only does it include the beautiful grounds of the stud itself and the legendary horses, and foals about to become legends, but your ticket also covers your visit to the superb Japanese Gardens and an excellent guided tour of the stud. 

Path of Life in the Japanese Gardens

And if you need a break and refreshment, you may enjoy a snack or a full lunch in the recommended on-site restaurant Gourmet Goodies. 

After our final breakfast in Lawlor’s, we headed up the sunny streets, busy too but not too busy, nothing close to a traffic jam. Soon we were down by the Grand Canal which has excellent walkways so close to the town. Like the town, the canal is well maintained and quite an asset to the citizens and visitors. We saw a couple of locks but no action on the waters. 

Teahouse in Japanese Gardens

Mentioned that at check-out and the hotel staff told us that you can experience the historic canal (at least a stretch of it) on a restored traditional canal barge from Sallins, and learn about the life of Ireland’s first man-made waterway (built in the 18th Century). They are great for Family Days Out, Birthday Parties, Office Parties or any occasion! Bar service onboard, with meal options for after your cruise at Lock 13 Gastro Brew-pub. Not alone can you do the canal trip but you can also book a brewery tour. I'm putting that on my list!

At The Stud, a young foal comes towards the camera while his surrogate mother keeps an eye on things.

Not the only reason. Just like to mention again the friendliness that was evident right from the reception desk in the Stud and everywhere we went after that, including Lawlor’s Hotel, the Country Market and during our stroll along the banks of the canal where everyone smiled and said hello. Another lovely reason to return to Kildare and check out more of its attractions.

More on the Irish Stud visit here.

More on Lawlor’s, especially the food options, here. 

The Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens. Among the country’s top attractions.

The Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens.

Among the country’s top attractions.

Cards, stars and horses, all played by Colonel Walker,
founder of the National Stud.

There is a double bronze sculpture on a patio just inside the entrance to the Irish National Stud, at the point where your guided tour starts. It features a life-sized be-hatted gentleman of a previous century gazing at a combination of horses, star signs and playing cards.

The double sculpture is in honour of Colonel William Hall Walker who bought this Tully estate in 1900 and went into horses rather than the family brewery in the UK. He had a fascination for Asia (hence the Japanese gardens here) and astrology. He used the stars to determine the future course of his horses - if the star signs were bad at birth, the foal was sold, no matter what the breeding.

The Colonel. Reading the stars

 

Despite much criticism of that particular “method”, he became one of the most successful breeders of his time, winning classic after classic. More recently, Sea The Stars was another classic winner and there is a sculpture in the horse’s memory, unveiled by the Queen in 2011. It is called Sea of Stars and contains astrological symbolism.

There is a more down-to-earth souvenir of the great Arkle: his skeleton! There is much more to see here and when your guided tour is over, you are welcome to explore at your leisure. Indeed, if a guided tour doesn't suit your schedule you are welcome to walk around independently. But you will miss out as the guides are full of information, courtesy and good humour.

The current star of the stud is the much-loved stallion Invincible Spirit. Now in his old age, his services are still much sought after and indeed his fee is negotiated privately whereas the other stallions have their fees posted on a board at the stud. Mares come from all over and, on arrival, are medically tested and are also “showered” and fitted with special shoes (in case they kick out when mating).

One for the future. Just a few weeks old

Big money is mentioned a lot around here yet most of these mega-deals are included in a modest-looking single-storey house called the Stud Office. It and its immediate garden are very well kept indeed as is the whole area. 

A highlight is a millennial garden by award-winning landscape architect Professor Martin Hallinan, built on a former bog and called St. Fiachra’s Garden. St. Fiachra, the patron saint of gardeners, also made a name for himself in the Loire and, if you find yourself in the village of Saint Fiacre you’ll see it is surrounded by vines. They make some fantastic Muscadet here and do watch out for Günther Chéreau Confluentia Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie (the Irish importers are Liberty Wines). 

Invincible Spirit. In Limestone. Plenty of limestone in Kildare as there is in Kentucky another great horse breeding region.

Irish National Stud’s tribute garden is a stunning attraction seeking to capture that which inspired those involved in Ireland’s monastic movement in the 6th and 7th centuries. It does so principally by paying handsome tribute to the Irish landscape in its rawest state.

While the stallions bring in the cash, it is the lively geldings that bring in many of the visitors. Hardy Eustace is the big gentle star and the much smaller Hurricane Fly is also in the same field but you’ll need something sweet if you hope to get to pat him. Faugheen and Beef or Salmon were also hanging around the day of our recent visit.

Faugheen enjoying his role as a visitor attraction

In adjoining paddocks, you see the stars of the future as these fields are home to mothers and foals, some just a couple of weeks old. They are well taken care of with plenty of space. If for some reason, the original mother cannot look after her own foal, a surrogate is available and so you see one or two oddly coloured mares here. 

It is not only the stallions that are well looked after in Tully. The in-foal mares, many of them paying guests in their last month, are checked every twenty minutes! HSE please take note.

A young foal with its foster mum.

Some other facts from our guide:

Covering dates start on, believe it or not, Valentine’s Day;

the gestation period is 11 months;

Every single foal is officially born on January 1st;

There is no A1 in the racing industry. That would spoil all the fun, and make it all boring, according to H…., our excellent guide; 

Resident stallion Tommy The Tease checks that each mare is ready but then has to step aside for a big-name stallion. Tommy has the consolation of two covers a year (with the surrogate mothers), a poor enough return.

Most visitors will end up in the Japanese Gardens at some stage during their visit. It is not the biggest in the world, far from it but, now over a hundred years old, it is still very much worth visiting. Some 120,000 visitors soak up the peace of the gardens every year. There is a choice of two paths, one called the Easy Path, the other the more familiar Path of Life (our choice!)

Refreshments are available all day in the on-site café. Meals are based on local produce
even if the building style echoes a Japan equivalent.

The gardens were devised by Colonel Walker and were laid out by Japanese master horticulturist Tassa Eida and his son Minoru between 1906 and 1910. Walker named one of his classic winning horses after Minoru.

After all that walking around, or maybe in between, you’ll need some sustenance and you’ll enjoy some good stuff in the Japanese Gardens Café (it also serves the National Stud - both attractions are covered by the one ticket and adjoin each other). The café building has Japanese features and has lots of seating, both indoors and out.

Ballymaloe-trained Natalie Collins and her manager take pride in offering simple, wholesome food with an emphasis on freshness and flavour. Local ingredients are used wherever possible. Current menu offers include Silver Hill Roast Duck Salad, Homemade Lasagne, 12-hour roast beef of Ciabatta, Chill Beef Nachos and much more, including dishes for children. We enjoyed a cuppa and a couple of pastries including their ever-popular Portuguese Tart.

The Tea House in the Japanese Gardens. No tea here, just for decoration

Service in the cafe was friendly, efficient and proactive. And indeed that friendliness was evident right from the reception desk here in the Stud and everywhere we went after that, including Lawlor’s Hotel, the Country Market and during our stroll along the banks of the canal where everyone smiled and said hello. Another lovely reason to return to Kildare and check out more of its attractions.

For more on the stud and gardens, please check here https://irishnationalstud.ie/ 

Also on. this visit:

You're on course for a great time when you stay at Lawlor's of Naas 

Lawlor's Naas is a great base for Kildare's many attractions 

The gardens in the stud grounds, especially St Fiacra's, are splendid.
Spotted this swan and cygnet in a pond there.

Meet Ireland’s Great Producers. Just a few of them!

Meet Ireland’s Great Producers

Just a few of them!

Cheesemaker Jean-Baptiste at Hegarty's

2018 Highlights now completed.

See below for brilliant National Stud visit;

A Taste of West Cork;

Life galore in the Irish Pub;

Michelin Stars, a trio this year;

Clonakilty's outstanding street festival;
Variations on the Irish Breakfast

Always manage to visit a few producers and 2018 was no exception; well, there were some exceptional visits, one to the innovative duo at the relatively new Killahora Orchards, the other to the well-established Hegarty Cheese in Whitechurch .

We were with a group of members of the Munster Wine & Dine who spent a very enjoyable May evening on a tour and tasting at Killahora Orchards near Glounthaune. Barry was our enthusiastic guide as we got both our whistles and our feet (aside from those who had brought wellies) wet in a most delightful way. 

Some of us had already marked Killahora products, including Johnny Fall Down cider, the Pom 'O Apple Port and their unique Rare Apple ice wine, among our favourite things. Those who hadn't come across them before were converted on this tour and tasting. More here. 

I met Jean-Baptise Enjelvin, cheesemaker at Hegarty’s, a few times during the year before heading out to see him at work in Whitechurch on an October morning.When I arrive at Hegarty’s farm on the outskirts of Whitechurch, less than twenty minutes north of Cork City, I’m greeted by Dan Hegarty, the frontman for their magnificent cheddar cheese that has been snapped up by restaurants and retail customers alike over the past 16 years or so. 

Killahora Orchards

For the past three years, Dan has had the considerable help of French cheese-maker Jean-Baptiste who had been on duty from earlier that morning.  He helps me get my kit on and I start to note how he makes their Templegall, a Comté style cheese, which has been getting sensational reviews over the past few months. 

I try my best to stay out of his way as the work progresses from the milk to the tank to the wheel on the stand. Amazing combination of skill, knowledge and muscle and then a lot of patience (a year or so of it) before the cheese is ready. It is a high quality product so do watch out for it! More here. 

* If you are food or drink producer and would like me to do a post in 2019, do drop me a line at cork.billy@gmail.com

* A producer for every week; see the list of Great Irish Tastes 2018

National Stud/Japanese Gardens

One of Ireland’s Stand-out Visits

2018 Highlights continued...

Guide Aoife has a back-pocket treat for Hardy Eustace.  And he knows it!

Last June, we “did” a loop around the Midlands, taking in Mikey Ryan’s in Cashel, Birr Castle, a tour of Tullamore DEW, and a stay at the impressive Heritage Hotel in Killenard but the undoubted highlight was our visit, on the one ticket, to the Japanese Gardens and the National Stud.

The Japanese Gardens are small but perfect. Now over a hundred years old, it is still very much worth visiting. Some 120,000 visitors soak up the peace ad beauty here every year. They were devised by Colonel Walker and were laid out by Japanese master horticulturist Tassa Eida and his son Minoru between 1906 and 1910. Walker named one of his classic winning horses after Minoru.

Before, or after, visiting the stud, you can refuel in the Japanese Garden Café. Here, Ballymaloe-trained Natalie Collins and her manager Ronan Mackey take pride in offering simple, wholesome food with the emphasis on freshness and flavour. Local ingredients are used wherever possible. The restaurant is open 7 days.

By the way, the grounds of the National Stud rival the gardens for beauty. But it is the characters here that I’m inclined to remember, especially Hardy Eustace! Described in his highly successful racing career as a hell of a horse and a tenacious battler, the now twenty year old is described as a big baby by Aoife, our fantastic guide, as she feeds him polo mints and those “missing” sugar cubes. 

Indeed, we all help out, keeping our fingers straight as we make our offerings to the famous gelding. Also keep it relatively quiet, just in case the jealous Hurricane Fly, who shares the field, might hear. 

Aoife was brilliant, our guide of the year, and later she took us to see the stallions, the guys that pay her wages! You may read an account of the visit here. 

John Coll's Famine Funeral at Coming Home

Other excellent “visits” this year included Nano Nagle Place (Cork City) , Youghal’s Historic Clock Gate Tower  and the amazing Ewe Experience  in Glengarriff.

Best art experience of the year was Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger  in Skibbereen.

A Rib around Bantry Bay

Just one of 250 events at A Taste of West Cork

2018 Highlights continued...

Ten days, 41 towns and villages, 8 islands, over 250 events. I’m talking about Ireland’s biggest and probably best food festival: A Taste of West Cork.

Impressive numbers indeed. But statistics only hint at the September story unfolding across the bays, the mountains, the hills and dales of the region. We dabbled a bit this year, as we regularly do and one of the highlights was the Indian Night in Richy’s of Clonakilty, another restaurant in the top echelon of this Michelin starred food-scape.

But the most fun that we had came down in Bantry, on a rib run by Diarmuid Murphy of the Fish Kitchen. The rib run and a fish dinner that evening were one of the official events for the festival. We weren’t quite sure why to expect when we booked - even thinking at one point that we’d have to fish for our dinner!

And, then as the clouds rolled in and the wind increased, we still weren’t sure as Diarmuid introduced us to his rib on the new marina in the bay. We put the gear on and soon we were bouncing out there on the bay. Exhilarating stuff even if our experienced skipper (we took just the one splash) decided against taking on the waves at either end of Whiddy Island and a trip across to see the liner in Glengarriff had to be abandoned.

But all the while he was filling us in - we two were his only passengers - on the geography and the amazing history of the bay: Wolfe Tone, the American flying boats on WW1 duty, the Eagle Pointers, Bantry House, the blue cliff, the Whiddy disaster and so much more including, of course, the mussel farming in the huge bay. He is a superb guide to the area and no wonder he is thinking of running this as a tourist attraction in the summer of 2019. Keep an eye out for that! Once I have details, I’ll post them here on the blog.

About two hours later, we were back on dry land. Time then for a rest and a shower before heading to the Fish Kitchen in the heart of Bantry for a delicious meal, enjoyed with a communal table that, by pure chance, included Esther and Joe Barron from the famous bakery in Cappoquin. A great afternoon trip and a terrific evening.

Life Galore in the Irish Pub

2018 Highlights continued...

Hot in the city. Galway in July.

We visited Galway in the high heat of the amazing summer, met some lovely people and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly everywhere we went and that included a visit to Michelin starred Aniar, strolls in the narrow streets, a cooling (not really!) cruise on the Corrib and on the huge lake (biggest in the Republic) but the memory that stands out was our visit to a pub!

We’ve been in some  memorable pubs in recent times, Dick Mack’s (with its micro brewery) in Dingle,  Reidy’s with its uncountable corners and crannies in Killarney, the Swagman and its amazing host Dale in Sligo, and a few more but the King’s Head in Galway is out on its own.

Well worth a call. And there is a bistro here that serves excellent local food - enter through a small archway off the city’s Latin Quarter. Chef Brendan Keane is a keen local and seasonal operator and hopefully Sorcha will be on duty to fill you in on the menu and the specials.

Afterwards, find your way to the adjoining pub and get a seat, by the stage if you want to get close up to the music or maybe by the bar. Our second night was by the bar, excellent choice of drinks here including local craft beers. 

Cocktail time!

And they have an impressive cocktail list here and put on quite a show as they get them ready. In the meantime, you’ll find yourself chatting to customers from all over the place. It won’t be a quiet chat - the music will be loud and lively, just like the street outside. Life con brio.

Another memorable pub was found just a few miles north-east of Cork city. O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill operates only at weekends but do get there for the food and the fun if you are anywhere close. 

Máire and Victor (you’ll know him from the House Café at the Opera House) have given this two hundred year old pub a new lease of life, the emphasis very much on local food and drink. Old cow sheds have been converted into use - there is a stage in one - as venues for concerts and weddings. New soul in the old stones and well worth a visit for its lovely food and lovely people.

Michelin Stars in a Row.

More to follow!

Daikon, bamboo shoot (Ichigo ichi

Michelin stars are like the No. 8 bus (sorry, it’s 208 now, ask Billy Murphy of the Young Offenders); you wait, and wait, and then three come together. Just three? There are a few more waiting in the wings.

The anointed threesome in Cork (Ichigo Ichie, The Mews, and Chestnut) are now well-known but I’ve been flirting with a few others. Reckon Pilgrims should be up there with a bib at least while Bastion should be up a notch from the bib. Missed out on Dillon's but on the list for 2019! Enjoyed myself in both of them in 2018 and the highlight was the meal in Ichigo Ichi - before it got the star.

Pollock, pine, at Aniar

Outside of Cork, Aniar (star) and Aldridge Lodge (bib) were also visited this year. By the way, if you’re lucky enough to dine and get one of the three rooms to overnight in Aldridge, consider yourself doubly lucky as breakfast here is also a star treat!

Festivals: Amazing Street Fest in Clon!

2018 Highlights

Food and food related festivals continue to pop up all over the country. Relatively new ones, such as FEAST in East Cork, are thriving, along with well established events such as A Taste of West Cork. The Old Butter Road Festival, mainly in North Cork, enjoyed a good year. Didn’t get to too many outside of Cork this year but had a quick and appetising day trip to Harvest Festival (to a Blaa event) in Waterford city.

There was quite an excellent Cheese festival too at the Cork Airport Hotel, a great cheese dinner on one night and some new cheeses on display in the many stalls on the following days. And the regular long-table was again a huge hit on Cork’s South Mall with over 400 diners.

For me though, the festival where food and fun totally and seamlessly combined was the Clonakilty Street Carnival. Long tables galore here on the main street, even one for the kids. Much more for the young folks too with games and music. Music too on various platforms for the attendees in general. And very impressive numbers with over 2,000 adults fed, by the town’s leading restaurants, for fifteen euro a head!

Variations on the Irish Breakfast

2018 Highlights

Plaice Plus at Aldridge Lodge

In the queue at Nash 19 the other day (coffee and scone for me), I was drooling at the elements of the Full Irish inside the counter. I already had had breakfast but those rashers and sausages etc certainly looked very good indeed. Another excellent one, that I fully enjoyed, was served in mid-summer at De Barra Lodge near Rosscarbery

Rarely go out for breakfast so it’s mostly in hotels and B&Bs that I sample the traditional Full Irish. Sometimes, I ask for the cut-down version: “one of everything”. 

And sometimes I ask for the fish, if there is one. 

Increasingly, there is a fish option. The very best (usually plaice, served simply) is to be found in the Garryvoe Hotel or its cousin across the bay, the Bayview. Superb stuff, especially if you’d had a hard night.

Last month, I had the good luck to dine and stay in Aldridge House on the beautiful Hook Peninsula in County Wexford. I will soon be publishing a full post on the dinner and the stay. I had an inkling that the breakfast would be good.

And when owner-chef Billy Whitty told me plaice was on the menu, I jumped at it. They have a Michelin bib here and Billy improved on the simple plaice, turning it into a marine version of the Full Irish.

Very hard to beat his magnificent plate of fresh and delicious plaice that came with a poached egg (choice of hen or duck), tomatoes and a Portobello mushroom. All that after a terrific starter of a yogurt pot with hazelnuts and raspberry. 

Pancakes are also very popular around the country at breakfast time and I’ve enjoyed a few in recent months, the best hotel offering probably that at the lovely Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny. 

The very best though came closer to home, in the spring, at the Crawford Gallery Café where they served up American style buttermilk pancakes, with delicious bacon, yogurt, blueberries and bananas and Maple syrup of course. Amazing flavours and textures. Simply irresistible! 

Pancakes at the Crawford Gallery Café

No bacon at another excellent Cork venue, the terrific Good Day Deli. But, early in the year, they had excellent Poached Pear Pancakes with coconut mascarpone and a drizzle of Irish honey. A morning winner from this sustainable foods champion. Another non-meat venue is the Candied Hazelnut in Waterford and here I enjoyed their Blueberry Pancake Stack with Maple Syrup.

Will the plaice or the pancakes displace the Full Irish? Maybe not on their own but there are other factors at play here and you can expect to see even more variety on the Irish breakfast plate.

* Have you a great breakfast offering? Email: cork.billy@gmail.com