Review of Cnoc Suain, Spiddal, Connemara

A white Connemara pony greeted us upon arrival at Cnoc Suain, high up in the peat boglands overlooking Spiddal’s coastline, 22 km from Galway. Neptune, the family pony, stood casually outside the white-washed thatched cottage, in this aptly named Cnoc Suain, meaning ‘the restful hill’, as if posing for a clichéd, outdated picture postcard. But there is nothing clichéd or outdated here. Cnoc Suain, overlooking its own Cnoch a Loch, is in its own league of uniqueness, charm and beauty. 

Yet Charlie and Dearbhaill, the owners, are still searching for the right name to describe Cnoc Suain. Cultural village, hub, community all reek of cultural commercialisation to me. In contrast, this is a family homestead, which they have preserved, rebuilt and opened up to guests. They wanted visitors to stop and absorb culture from this Irish-speaking region of Ireland, rather than glimpsing it through a coach window. They have almost single-handedly rebuilt and thatched four dry-stone wall cottages, installed geothermal underfloor heating, and furnished them in a traditional, simple, and comfortable way. 

On Wednesday and Saturday nights, performers (including Dearbhaill, a professional musician), gather in the main house, in front of the biggest log fire I have ever seen. This feels like friends gathering to perform their traditional ‘noble call’, be it playing the pipes, sean-nós dancing and singing, or reciting a Yeats poem. Just to make sure you don’t feel the cold en route back down the lane to your cottage afterwards, you can stop for a hot whisky at Cnoc Suain’s own ‘shebeen’,  where, if you’re lucky, the singing goes on until the early hours. Then tuck up in cocoon-like cottage beds, very comfortable traditional cast iron, and drift off with the smell of the wood fire still hovering, and the sound of reels still ringing. Charlie and Dearbhaill are also committed conservationists, and are in the process of creating a field laboratory, using microscopes to study elements of the local ecosystem, which includes seashore, bog and Karst limestone. They have also opened up Charlie’s extensive library to visitors.options for staying at Cnoc Suain.

At Cnoc Suain you can sign up for a weekend residential course in anything from Irish herbal cures to watercolour painting or, if you are in the area, take part in a half-day course. If you are new to Irish culture, their Essence of Ireland residential weekend offers the idyllic surroundings to get to grips with Ireland's vibrant culture, learning everything from making soda bread, to cutting turf. With plenty of Irish language thrown in.

You can also just use the cottages as self-catering accommodation, and just lap up the landscape, live and breathe the Gaeltacht culture (based on the Irish language), and enjoy the open-house feel of Charlie and Dearbhaill’s Gaelic homestead.  One request is that children should be over fifteen because bogs can be dangerous for younger children, due to bog holes.

Sustaining local culture is a vital part of developing a responsible tourism business. What makes this place unique is that it is not preserving Irish language, music, cookery and crafts in order to enshrine them. Charlie and Dearbhaill are keeping them alive, contemporising them. This is no theme park. There is nothing tacky or commercial here. It is a place of living culture, oozing with pride and determination to protect and share some of the joys of its heritage. 

Top Tip: Spend the day at the stunning Brigit’s Garden in nearby Roscahill. There are four gardens created and landscaped to represent the four seasons according to Celtic mythology and tradition of festivals:  Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lughnasa. This is a place of serenity, spirituality and beauty, where each sculpture, shrub and shrine has been carefully created and installed to represent different aspects of ancient wisdom. Their superb café mirrors the general spiritual ethos of stillness, with a slow (and fine) food policy.

The Verdict: I love everything about this place, although sadly you can’t bring under 16’s due to the dangers of local bog holes. Charlie and Dearbhaill epitomise Irish hospitality, have had fascinating lives and are brilliant storytellers. Didn’t want to leave. See Cnoc Suain's listing on greentraveller. 

Getting there: Take a train to Galway, and then take a taxi or bus to Spiddal and walk (only five kilometres, on road through, increasingly rare, blanket bogland). 

Catherine Mack is the author of ecoescape: Ireland, £8.99 (+£1.50 UK p&p)