I stayed at the Iniscuil cottage the first two weeks of July and cannot say enough about this house. I was accompanied by my grown daughter and one of her friends who were both visiting Ireland for the first time.
My first comment would be the wonderful location. The house is walking distance to the beach, and there is a wonderful view from both the kitchen and also the master bedroom. There is a large, lovely patio in the back which we enjoyed in the mornings and evenings. For travelers who fly into Dublin there are flights right into the Donegal airport at Carrickfinn that take slightly under an hour. The airport is about a 15-minute drive from the house which made it very convenient.
I did not rent a car and although our home base was Gweedore which is a little remote, having the airport was great for side trips as we just flew into Dublin and from there could go anywhere in the country either by train or by bus. The cost was about 60 Euros which we found to be very reasonable so we had no problem making our way down south to Blarney, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, etc. Since we were on the west coast we took a bus back “home” to Iniscuil and it dropped us right off at the house! A side note—the Donegal airport has been voted one of the most scenic in the world, and for me the view as we were landing was well worth the cost.
The house has two sitting rooms, one with a smart TV and another with a large table suitable for dining. There are four good-sized bedrooms with plenty of closets and drawers. The bed in the master bedroom was very comfortable and between the fresh air and the comfortable bed I had a great night’s sleep every single night. Another bedroom has two beds and the two others each have a double so there is plenty of room. The kitchen is fully equipped with a microwave, clothes washer, dishes, plates, pans, etc. The refrigerator is large enough for plenty of groceries so preparing meals at home was very easy. We had everything we needed.
There are a couple of pubs nearby that are within walking distance and a pizza parlor that we liked very much is right next door. A large grocery store is about a mile away and it is full of all kinds of breads, produce, meats, canned foods and other household items. One of my favorite rooms in the house was the kitchen. Although the house has central heating there is a wood-burning stove in the kitchen which added to the authenticity of this traditional Irish cottage. Wood was readily available at the grocery store and we all loved relaxing in the kitchen in the morning and when we were home in the evenings.
Some of the things that you can do while there are visit the Poisoned Glen and the beautiful Glenveigh National Park. There is a petting zoo for those who have small children. You can take a boat ride out to one of the many small islands off the coast or take a drive to visit the very pretty town of Donegal and do some shopping. Kayaking is available and surfing is also available at some of the Donegal beaches but the beach behind Iniscuil is very calm when the tide is out so families with young children will appreciate that. There is also a distillery at Crolly where they give tours and you get to sample both the whiskey and Irish poitin.
Some of the restaurants that we really liked were Fara Og’s at the Chuirt Hotel, Teac Jack, Leos Taibhirne and for a delicious upscale restaurant, try Danny Minnie’s.
Have to say thanks also to Kaye and Bernie who are in charge of the maintenance of Iniscuil! It was spotless upon arrival and when Kaye met us for check-in she was extremely helpful with other questions that I and my daughter and her friend had. She is a long-time resident of Gweedore and is an expert.
Thanks again to all of you!
Frances M. O’Rourke
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