Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Kingdom Base.

Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Kingdom Base.

Morning view from Ross Castle

The Castlerosse

The comfortable Castlerosse Hotel was our base for a packed two day trip to the Kingdom last month (Aug 2022). It is a low rise building overlooking its own golf course and offers much for the active person, young and old alike. Not to mention the excellent Mulligan’s Bar where they serve the local craft beer on draught.  No shortage of music in the bar either.

Aside from the spacious hotel rooms, they offer many chalets on the grounds, ideal for families with young kids who can of course avail of the hotel’s facilities including pool. In addition, the kids can get on their bikes and head off, accompanied of course, on at least two paths into the Killarney National Park.

The Workmen's Rowing Club

We didn’t take the bikes but we did walk the paths which are signed. One late afternoon, we headed off on the shorter one through the woods and by the fields to Killarney. After about 25 minutes, you come close to the cathedral and a stroll down New Street will take you into the very centre. Our destination was the Celtic Whiskey Bar. Whiskey on my mind but that changed when I saw the long list of craft beer on offer and here we enjoyed the Rascal’s 4.4% Stout and the Tom Crean St Brigid’s Lager.

The other walk is almost double that and takes you around the golf course all the way to Ross Castle. We did this on our final morning. We hadn’t seen a jarvey and jaunting car since we had arrived but, having just remarked on it, no less than six appeared in a row, all coming from the castle. Must have been a tour bus there! Very enjoyable walk, also met a few deer on the way, and enjoyed the views over the waters and the islands.

Ross Castle

We also made a couple of "sterner" walks. Perhaps, no perhaps about it actually, the biggest challenge for us was the Cronin’s Yard Loop Walk (8km) that takes you close to Carrauntoohil (Ireland’s highest mountain). Tough enough going for these old legs but most enjoyable. 

Ross Castle

Breakfast

Another, easier, walk was also completed, the splendid Bray Head Walk on Valentia Island. Take the bridge from Portmagee (you may also get the ferry from Caherciveen) and turn left (signed) after the Skellig Experience and then left again (also signed for Bray Head). Roads are narrow so take it easy! Soon you come to the car park, on your left (cost €2.00). Enjoy the walk and its great views including the Skelligs themselves.

After all that exercise, it was so great to look forward to the comfortable and friendly Castlerosse for a leisurely break before heading out again later on. It is the kind of hotel that we’ll return to, especially for any attraction or visit on the western side of the town (like the soon to be opened visitor centre at the Killarney distillery and brewery in Fossa). A bientôt Castlerosse!

Also on this trip:

Check out the Kingdom 1795, Kerry Restaurant of the Year

Valentia Island's spectacular Bray Head Walk 

Cronin's Yard Loop Walk (near Carrauntoohil)

Superb Killarney Dinner at The Mad Monk by Quinlans

Killarney's Mad Monk Knows His Fish. Quinlans have a winner on Plunkett Street.

Killarney's Mad Monk Knows His Fish.

Quinlans have a winner on Plunkett Street.

Less than six months after my first visit, I was back in The Mad Monk by Quinlans in Killarney last week. There would be some changes to the menu of course, some specials also, but I had one in mind and was delighted to find the superb Portmagee Crab Bake in the starters.

The superb Crab Bake comes in a Tomato and Avocado Salsa salad and with sourdough bread for mopping up! You won’t come across a crab bake in many restaurants in Ireland. Just checked there and Quinlans have added it to their Cork offering so there’s a hot tip for you. Its is not the cheapest but is one of the very best!

And then came another superb dish, this from the specials of the day which were detailed to us at the very start, great staff here, very friendly and efficient in a packed venue, many more customers dining on the sunny street outside.

The crab stuffed Sole Paupiettes (with Sauce Vin Blanc) was classy, outstanding, delicately delicious. Again, not the cheapest, but this rare treat was well worth every cent. It was served with root veg and the most exquisite mashed potato!

When in their large and comfortable Cork restaurant, I’ve often been amazed at the popularity of the fish and chips. I had a choice here in Killarney and picked the more traditional haddock rather than the cod. It is billed as Traditional Beer Battered Fresh Fish and Chips with real potato chips, Mushy peas, served with Lemon Wedge and Tartar sauce.

It lived up to the billing: fresh fish, lovely thin batter, excellent fries and the best peas. Five stars for 18.95 - you get much the same at lunch for three euro less so there’s another tip for you.

There’s a full bar here, plenty of wines, more white than red understandably, and most of them available by the glass. Delighted also to see they had an ale and stout from Killarney Brewery on tap, along with a few bottles. That Blonde Ale, nicely balanced between the malts and the hoppy fruit flavours, was very flavoursome indeed and refreshing and went down well with the sole. 

My pick was the Casey Brothers Extra Stout, also from the Killarney Brewery. It is a fuller version of the classic Irish dry stout, essences of treacle, coffee and dark chocolate come through the smoothness (helped by the addition of some Flahavan’s oats I’m told!). Thumbs up for this for sure.

The relatively new premises in Killarney’s Plunkett Street is very attractive. It is spread over two floors giving a total of about 80 covers. The family seafood business is based in Caherciveen, Co Kerry. Kerryfish was started in 1963 by the father Michael Quinlan and has now been passed down to the second generation of Quinlan’s, Liam, Ronan and Fintan. And expansion is always on the agenda here. They have shops and restaurants all over Kerry and beyond and you probably know that the Cork premises has also been enlarged and improved!

Also on this trip:

Check out the Kingdom 1795, Kerry Restaurant of the Year

Valentia Island's spectacular Bray Head Walk 

Cronin's Yard Loop Walk (near Carrauntoohil)

Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Base For The Kingdom

 

Cronin's Yard Loop near Carrauntoohil. Eight Kilometre Signposted Trail.

Cronin's Yard Loop 

near Carrauntoohil  

8 kilometre signposted trail

Uphill on the right hand arm of the loop.
Carrauntoohil ahead on the right.

For over 300 years, Cronin’s Yard has been used as the traditional starting point for ascents of Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil. Situated at the entrance to the Hag’s Glen at Mealis, Beaufort, this is the gateway to the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks and the ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside. 

One of the marked walks you can access from here is the Cronin's Yard 8 kms loop. It is of moderate difficulty over stony gravelly paths and mountain tracks and you'll need a basic level of fitness and the proper gear of course. 

You'll have some terrific views including, at all times, Ireland's highest mountain. Two to two and a half hours is the estimated time. But, on a very hot day, we took our own time and I'd say we were three and half from start to finish and enjoyed it very much indeed.

Much more info, including detailed map, here. Here too you'll find directions to the yard itself!

Cronin's charge a modest two euro for parking and use of toilets. They have a café here with indoor and outdoor seating and a menu that offers sandwiches, toasties, home baking, home-made soup, hot chocolate, coffee,  and teas (including herbal). They also sell souvenirs, T-shirts, maps, books and postcards.

Early steps

Also on this trip:

Check out the Kingdom 1795, Kerry Restaurant of the Year

Valentia Island's spectacular Bray Head Walk

Superb Killarney Dinner at The Mad Monk by Quinlans

Castlerosse Hotel. Ace Base For The Kingdom

First bridge

Second bridge

Rock on. Carrauntoohil ahead in centre

Crossing a stile on way up on left hand side of loop

Loop is well marked

River bed and Carrauntoohil

Sky's the limit in the mountains!

On the lower slopes

Hills to the left on the way up on left hand side of loop

River bed on way down

Looking back while on the way up (on left hand side)

You won't have to climb this rocky edge!

Cork-Based Event Caterer, Orla McAndrew Food, Launches New Five-Star Zero Waste Wedding Packages Aimed At Sustainably-Conscious Couples

press release

Cork-Based Event Caterer, Orla McAndrew Food, Launches New Five-Star Zero Waste Wedding Packages Aimed At Sustainably-Conscious Couples

Award-winning Cork-based Caterer and Irish TV Chef, Orla McAndrew, has launched a brand new thought-provoking Irish wedding concept. Through her high-end event catering business, Orla McAndrew Food, she is now offering sustainably-conscious couples across the country the chance to opt for a five-star zero waste wedding meal on their big day, created using rescued surplus produce.

 

Currently, one third of all food produced globally - 1.3 billion tonnes - ends up in landfill. Fuelled by her own personal passion to run a hospitality business with sustainability at its core, from the get-go Orla has made a concerted effort to minimise her waste output as much as she possibly can. Whether that be creating seasonally-driven menus showcasing the country’s best artisan producers, calculated portioning, growing her own produce, fermenting, pickling, or composting, over the last three years Orla has laid the groundwork for her latest offering.

 

Now, inspired by fellow zero waste advocate Giselle Makinde (Founder, Cream Of The Crop Food) and sustainable Chef, Conor Spacey, and having taken advice from industry expert Amy Irwin (Conscious Kitchens), Orla has decided to take her approach to conscious catering one step further. In addition to her existing bespoke packages, she is now offering couples a five-star wedding experience with a difference; one that saves perfectly good to eat surplus food from landfill and has a positive impact on the environment in an area of the industry often associated with excess and wastage.

 

Rather than selecting their wedding menu months in advance, conscientious newlyweds will instead put their complete trust in Orla and her team to create show-stopping surplus feasts that will only be revealed to them and their guests the week of their wedding. And, the same goes for all of her other clientele too, with Orla choosing to make her new five-star zero waste offering available across the board.

 

A number of high-profile suppliers and artisan producers have already bought into Orla’s new concept, coming onboard because they too want to help make a positive impact on reducing food waste and raising awareness of the huge issue that this poses environmentally. They include Sustainable Seafood Ireland (SSI), La Rousse Foods, St. Tola Goat Cheese (Ennistimon, Co. Clare), Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk & Yoghurt (Rockfield, Co. Mayo), Cork Rooftop Farm (Cork city), Waterfall Farms (Waterfall, Co. Cork), Michael Twomey Butchers (Macroom, Co. Cork), Horgan’s Delicatessen (Mitchelstown, Co. Cork), and many more. 

 

Orla, who aspires to rescue as much surplus as possible and grow her supply chain even further, is keen to hear from and work with suppliers and artisan producers nationwide to ensure that her work has as big an impact as possible. These businesses will then supply Orla McAndrew Food with surplus, perfectly good to eat ingredients throughout the year, enabling her to save quality produce from needlessly ending up in landfill. Instead, Orla will showcase and elevate these ingredients as part of an utterly unique dining experience for both newly married couples and day-to-day catering clients daring enough to trust in her creative skill and expertise.

 

Orla guarantees that all of the zero waste menus she creates for weddings, family celebrations and corporate events, will be prepared using a minimum of 80% surplus produce. The remainder will be supplemented by dry ingredients and store cupboard staples with long shelf lives. By weight, she estimates that the average three-course zero waste wedding meal for 150 guests will save as much as 225kg of surplus food from ending up in landfill.

 

Recently named Network Ireland Cork’s ‘Creative Professional’ Businesswoman of the Year for 2022, Orla is of the opinion that she creates her best food when she is limited in the ingredients that she has access to. She is incredibly excited not only at the prospect of designing menus for couples that will save quality produce from going to waste but that will also help shift people’s perceptions. 

 

Commenting on the launch of her company’s new Zero Waste Wedding offering, Orla McAndrew said: “After many months of planning, I'm beyond excited to finally be able to offer this brand new zero waste concept to Irish couples. As an advocate for sustainable practices and positive change, launching something that will help save hundreds of kilos of perfectly wonderful Irish produce from ending up in landfill, without ever compromising on quality or taste, is a complete no brainer for me.”

 

Orla McAndrew Food’s new five-star Zero Waste Wedding Menu packages are available for parties of 90+ guests within Munster, and 140+ guests across the country, with no maximum limit, and all special dietary requirements catered for. Orla will make a 5% donation to her charity partner, The Peter McVerry Trust, on behalf of every couple that books one of her Zero Waste Wedding packages. Her five-star zero waste day-to-day event catering will be limited to locations within Munster for the time being, with packages available for 40+ guests.

 

Sustainably-conscious couples and forward-thinking clients can find out more by visiting, www.omcatering.ie, emailing orla@omcatering.ie, or by calling 087 709 0946.

 Photo credits - Kirsty Lyons

About Orla McAndrew Food 

Blarney-based mother-of-three, Orla McAndrew, has a degree in Business & Culinary Arts, a Diploma in Speciality Food Production (from University College Cork), and a postgraduate Diploma in Food Marketing & Rural Development. Her commitment to the provenance and the quality of her food is unquestionable, so much so that she has become a regular contributor to The Today Show on RTÉ in recent months.

 

Orla fell into event catering by accident a little over three years ago following a chance encounter with a bride-to-be on the lookout for someone to provide food for her upcoming wedding. She jumped at the opportunity and, despite her lack of experience back then, Orla’s willingness and ability to excite people with her food offering has seen her fledgling business succeed - offering brides and grooms the opportunity to create their own completely bespoke and unique wedding days.

 

With more than fifteen large-scale weddings under her belt as well as numerous family and corporate events, the growth of Orla’s business was recently acknowledged by Network Ireland Cork as their ‘Creative Professional’ Businesswoman of the Year for 2022. She will now go on to represent Cork at the National Finals in October. 

VENUE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR IRISH FOOD & DRINK MONTH

VENUE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

 FOR IRISH FOOD & DRINK MONTH

Great Irish Beverages is very proud to present details of their latest nationwide festival, Irish Food & Drink Month. Running throughout the month of October, it is a celebration of pairing Irish foods with Irish drinks. Any licensed bar, restaurant or hotel can participate for free by clicking here and registration is now open until the end of September.

Pride in Irish food has never been stronger in Ireland’s hospitality sector. Across the country, you’ll find Irish produce taking front and centre of most menus. Local food tastes best when enjoyed with local drinks and Ireland is no exception.  Our native drinks pair wonderfully well with Irish meats, fish, farmed produce and cheeses. We want to see those drinks as well loved as the foods they share the same land with. This was our inspiration for rolling out Irish Food & Drink Month.

We are working with a number of different Irish drinks brands across many sectors for this project. Any licensed bar, restaurant or hotel can come on board at no cost and in order to get involved, they have to create and sell a signature Irish food & drink pairing during October. There will be a public vote on Instagram and Facebook for which participating venue has the best Irish food & drink pairing in the country.

For anyone that needs a little inspiration about what kind of Irish food & drink combos to conjure up, have a wee gander at this video here. It features pairings from The Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar, Pitt Bros on Dublin's Georges Street, Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street and Brewery Corner in Kilkenny.

Getting behind Irish made drinks in the on trade helps to nurture our entire culinary culture and it creates and sustains Irish jobs. We are grateful to Bord Bia and Drinks Ireland for their support and to all the Irish drinks brands who are sponsoring Irish Food & Drink Month. They represent some of Ireland's best breweries, whiskeys, cider makers, gins, vodkas, liqueurs and meads. - O'Hara's - Fercullen Irish Whiskey - Falling Apple - Roe & Co - istil 30 Pot Still Vodka - Rascals - Dublin City Brewing Co - Velvet Cap Irish Whiskey - Kinsale Mead Co - Stillgarden Distillery - Galway Bay Brewery - Writers Tears - Lambay Irish Whiskey - Five Farms - Gunpowder Irish Gin - Powers Irish Whiskey - Killahora Orchards

Photo & video credit: The Bartender Project