Review of Tír na Fiúise, Terryglass, North Tipperary

> For contact details and to check availability, see our full listing of: Tír na Fiúise

Stay at this idyllic cottage overlooking the farm. Photo: Catherine Mack

The Accommodation
The owners of these three converted farm outhouses are Niall and Inez Heenan, the fourth generation to live on this 60 hectares farm in Terryglass.  Tír na Fiúise is perfect for families. There are three clean and spacious traditional cottages with cupboards full of games, a shed full of bikes, hurling sticks, tennis rackets and a specially made wall to bash a ball against. The cottages are extensions of the Heenan family farm, with pieces of refurbished antique family furniture in many of the rooms. There are also two new one-bedroom apartments on another part of the farm, built to look like authentic cottages. Ingeniously, these apartments have adjoining doors, so that you can rent both units if necessary. Good for keeping in-laws or teenagers at arm’s length. The new one bedroom apartments are built to accommodate wheelchair users

The Activities
Cycle or walk into Terryglass village, almost chocolate box in its quaintness. Situated on Lough Derg, part of the Shannon network, it plays host to boat holidaymakers in summer, but is the perfect small community all year round. Catch this at its best during the Terrryglass Arts Festival in August. For longer cycle trips, join up with the gorgeous Lough Derg Cycleway, click here for a downloadable map.  

The Food
Snuggle up in the cosy lounge and stick the fire on. Photo: Catherine MackThe cottages take reservations from Saturday to Saturday, so you can stop at  Nenagh Farmers’ market (10am-2pm) en route and stock up for the week. You can also book a box of locally grown vegetables, and eggs, to be waiting for you when you arrive, or order them when you get there. Another option is to cycle into Borrisokane for local supplies. Or take a sup in the wood panelled snug at Paddy’s Bar in Terryglass by the peat fire. The bar food is good, but pop next door to the Derg Inn for top cuisine. They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible, guaranteeing the use of Irish meat. The beefburger and chips went down brilliantly in our camp, especially the children. Booking is recommended in high season.

What makes Tir na Fiúise green
Niall gave me his perfect definition of sustainable tourism. “It keeps us here on our farm in real rural Ireland – I hope it will also be something for our children to inherit and make their own”. Committed to rural and environmental conservation, everything is recycled at the farm, and Niall assures me that energy consumption on the sauna is lower than making a few cups of tea. This is agritourism Irish style, and if you get out for a morning walk across the family bog right beside the cottages, you will breathe in the turf and soil which has kept this country sustained for so many generations. 

How to get there
Take the train to Limerick and then bus to Nenagh, 30km from Terryglass by taxi. Or bus to Portumna, only 8km from Terryglass. There is also a daily bus (Eireann Service) to Borrisokane (12km from Terryglass). Niall and Inez can arrange pick up by local taxi. For more information about travelling to Ireland by ferry, see our guide to How to travel to Ireland without flying.

The serene landscape at Tír na Fiúise Cottages. Photo: Catherine MackTop tip
Head to Portumna Forest Park, just and brimming with walking and cycling trails, which spread out like webs across its 450 hectares. Port Omna means ‘the landing place of the oak tree’, and you won’t be short of a few in this beautifully managed forest, mostly spruces at the moment however, although re-planting of indigenous oaks, ashes and hazels is currently.

Verdict
A journalist once asked Niall, “Why do people come to Terryglass? There is nothing here.” Niall’s answer was that it is for people who are in search of nothing. For them, the place is enough. Walk the bog at sunrise, and you will understand what he means.  Have a cup of tea with the Heenan family and you will also find Irish family hospitality at its finest and, in some ways, most traditional. Warm, welcoming, life loving and generous without question. 

> For contact details and to check availability, see our full listing of: Tír na Fiúise.