Last Friday’s announcment stating that the Hospitality Sector could reopen for guests was wonderful to hear. Here at our cosy, peaceful and quiet holiday cottages, we have tended the gardens and the buildings so that they will be looking their best for you when you return.  We look forward to the activity of guests arriving, becoming accostomed to their surrounds and enjoying the country walks, bikes, and of course, the local village of Terryglass with its history, heritage and welcoming community.

 

These last few weeks have allowed us the opportunity to look at what we have here and we know that visitors to our self catering cottages enjoy the authenticity of the experience here, the closeness to nature, the peace to be with oneself and ones family, the access to the wider Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands region.  The wonderful grounds of Portumna Castle, Portumna Forest Park, Nenagh Castle and Birr Castle are open to visit. The expanses of the Silvermines Mountains, Keeper Hill, The Graves of the Leinstermen at Tountinna overlooking Killaloe/Ballina all await the lover of the outdoors.  The quiet lanes around us are ideal for a family cycle or a leisurely walk. Canoeing and Kayaking on Lough Derg also awaits you.

 

We will be asking guests to do what we all know is required of us now. Social Distancing, Handwashing, Cough Etiquette are now familiar terms. We will have your cottage ready for you for a 6pm check in, this allows us to have more time to do the necessary work in advance of your arrival,  all information will be available in your cottage or advance and because we live on site, we are here should you need to text or phone us about anything. We can’t shake your hand on arrival however we will certainly open our hearts to you!

 

We will follow all guidelines, allowing you, our guest, to have a relaxing stay. You deserve this break!

Since March 13th we have spent a lot more time here at home in Fuchsia Lane Farm as the country entered a whole new experiment with Lockdown.  As a result we were able to observe nature emerge in the Spring and enjoy many small events, probably insignificant in a more normal year, but this time they seemed to bring more joy.  Perhaps it was because of an underlying tension that existing in many of us, perhaps in the whole world, because  we did not know where and when this virus was going to emerge in our lives and if we would wake up some morning suffering from the symptoms.  Consequently, each mornings walk along quiet lanes, through peaceful pastures and melodic woodlands afforded little glimpses of nature telling us ‘it will all be ok’.

We heard the cuckoo early each morning, we saw the swallows return to their usual nesting spots, and marvelled on their journey.   In many respects there was a reassurance in seeing the cycle of nature offer up its wonderful annual possibilities and this helped us to look forward.  The daffodils emerged with their sunny faces, not concerned that the cottages were empty of guests, they were just doing what they always do, irrespective of encouragement from human interaction!  The woodland leaves emerged, the familiar smells of fresh growth touched our senses, the regularity of crop growing and silage season returned as it always does.  

We found time to do the jobs that had been on the everlasting ‘to do list’. The rainy day jobs that needed a fine day to get done.  We tidied, resurrected, refreshed, painted and then we did some more.  We were energised and exhausted, at many times during each day. We got cranky with ourselves then we realised that we didn’t mean that and we progressed on.  We walked Holly, she went for her swim in the lake and she lived in the moment, as only a family dog can.  The cats adapted to being let into the house more and found new ways to look cute. The ponies learned that a new whinny could result in a longer chat, a kind stroke and a scratch on a favourite spot.

And we communicated with all of you, out wonderful guests, many from previous holidays here and many whom we only knew from an email booking or enquiry. We heard of your concerns about cancelled family events, weddings that could not happen, trips of a lifetime to Ireland that had been planned and saved for years that had to be postponed or cancelled.  We deleted bookings from our calendar and did not even look at the financial side of all this as everyone was in the same storm. And we were thankful for our health.  We shared photos on social media, we received wonderful messages from people who stayed with us years ago and they spoke about their memories from their time with us and all this gave us heart.  We saw what we have here with fresh eyes and we fell in love with our place again.

We parked up the car and cycled to the village, we were drawn to the local shop which became our focal point to say hello and greet neighbours, we enjoyed the lake and the wonderful quay that had grown out of community effort a couple of generations ago. We remembered the people who made all this happen. We pondered on our own mortality. We made bread. A lot of bread. We compared sourdough recipes, starters and leavens. We dug the garden, we sat there in the evenings when we rang old friends. We sat there and did nothing.  We remained hopeful.

We look forward now still unsure about the business that we will have for this year, bookings might still be cancelled or postponed and we have no control over this. All we can control is what we have here and how we view it. We are proud of our cottages and rural retreat. We will continue to offer what we have, we have ideas for future possibilities and we will welcome you all again.  So will Holly.

 

 

 

While many activities are restricted for good reason at the moment, we can still get out and about safely in the fresh air and enjoy the sights and sounds of Spring.  We are so fortunate to have Portumna Forest Park just down the road from us here and we really recommend it as a place to visit.  We would love you to bring our bikes so you can really enjoy the space to its fullest!

Rural Tourism Ireland – Open for business!

It might be easy to think that every option for movement in this country has been curtailed in light of the appropriate and correct response by the Government and Ireland’s Health Authorities to close schools and recommend that large gatherings of people be postponed. However, there are still lots of options for individuals, couples and families to take advantage of the competitive low season rates  available at this time of year in the many rural self catering cottages that can be found throughout the country.  

Here at Fuchsia Lane Farm you could stay in a family cottage, in a quiet and peaceful location, walk the local lanes, visit the forest parks, walks etc all around the area, eat in the local pubs , Paddys Bar or The Derg Inn (or have food delivered to your cottage, if you prefer). With WiFi in your cottage you can keep up with some work and allow your children to access their school work as part of their day! (They will thank you for that when they are older!)  and all the time maintaining social distance as appropriate.

As a community we all need to support each other, we all need to remember that life has to go on and by taking sensible precautions we can minimise risk.  If you do decide to take a #staycation somewhere in Ireland, we hope you have a super break. If you would like to visit here, just send us an email and we will do our best to make it possible.

Life on the Shannon Callows

The Shannon Callows are an integral part of the ecosystem of the River Shannon, Ireland’s longest river system.  The Callows are the floodplains for the river when it overflows and floods during the wintertime.  Consequently, the soil is rich with plants and flowers unique to this ecosystem.  For many years people have attempted to farm this land despite the difficulties associated with such wet and marginal land.  To this day demands to ‘Drain the Shannon’ are often made, in spite of the impracticalities that this would entail.  Several generations have lived on the Callows, and, the closest area to your Irish holiday cottage at Fuchsia Lane Farm, Terryglass, are the Callows north of Portumna bridge.  

We are fortunate to know Dr Christy Cunniffe who speaks passionately of this area and whose family have close links with the Shannon Callows.  In this video he gives a wonderful insight into the area.  Sit back and enjoy 6 minutes of this personal story!

#IrelandsHiddenHeartlands  #ShannonCallows #Ireland #SelfCatering #holidaycottage  #ecotourism #sustainabletourism

Traditional Music in Terryglass Village

We are so fortunate that we have two amazing pubs in our local village of Terryglass, The Derg Inn and Paddy’s Pub.  Both venues offer great food and company and there are regular music sessions.  The Traditional Music sessions on Sunday nights in The Derg Inn have become a central part of local life and are always a ‘must attend’ entry on ones calendar!  Each week you will hear some wonderful local and visiting musicians and visitors are welcome to bring their own instruments and to sing a song of your own!

Wilde Irish Chocolates is a wonderful artisan chocolate factory located in the village of Tuamgraney,  on the shores of Lough Derg on the Co Clare side of the lake.  Here the wonderfully creative and inventive Trish and her team a produce over 80 different types of chocolate to suit all tastes, ages and budgets.  One can visit their factory shop to sample some of their creations and also see the work in action.  Its a great place to visit and visitors are always welcome.  Find out more on their website https://wildeirishchocolates.com

 #TasteofLoughDerg #IrelandsHiddenHearlands  

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected as finalists in the County Tipperary Business Awards 2019.  These awards are designed to showcase innovative and outstanding businesses across the county in a range of sectors.

We are finalists in the Tourism and Hospitality category and its a wonderful accolade which serves to encourage and motivate all the team here at Fuchsia Lane Farm to continue to offer our guests ‘an authentic rural experience’

With over 20 years experience in the hospitality business, offering self catering experiences to visitors from all over the world to Fuchsia Lane Farm Cottage, we are constantly doing our best to offer guests an opportunity to experience genuine hospitality and a connection with both the local community and the landscape which is part of their rural tourism experience.

We encourage guests to walk locally, experience nature in the woodland retreat area, cycle the local lanes and to enjoy local food and produce in the local restaurants and pubs.  Our focus and commitment to high standards over the years has resulted in our receiving a Gold Medal Award in the Irish Responsible Travel Awards and also in being selected as one of the 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland, chosen by the Irish Times.

The Winners of the County Tipperary Business Awards will be announced at Black Tie Gala Dinner, which will be held in the 4* Clonmel Park Hotel on the Friday the 18th of October 2019 – a night to celebrate and highlight business achievements, innovation and excellence in the County. We will be there!