A while ago my mum and I got invited to stay the night at Moy River B&B in Cloonacool. Although we only live about 10 minutes down the road we're always delighted to get invited to things and love blogging about our experiences, so we jumped at the chance. In case you don't know, Daniel O'Donnell stayed at Moy River with his wife a while ago, and the B&B was featured on the TV as a result of this.
We arrived and were instantly welcomed and made feel at home by Pat, one of the owners of the B&B, who showed us around. It's an absolutely stunning place - flowers were dotted all around the garden, chickens roamed around freely, and inside was warm and smelled of citrus and homeliness. The house was adorned with quirky touches - a turtle resided in the corner, paintings and photographs by local artists lined the walls, and Rita's homemade crochet seat covers adorned the chairs. It felt like a home away from home.
Pat sat us down with tea, delicious homemade dairy free scones (I contacted beforehand to tell them I was lactose intolerant, so I thought this was so sweet of him!) and jam, and a roaring fire. We sat around and chatted and he told us the story of how the B&B started. I thought his story was absolutely fascinating, and he made an excellent point how you don't have to stick to one thing in life. He left us with a quote that will always stay in my mind: 'If you can't visit the world, the world comes to visit you'. I'm quite taken with the idea of opening my own B&B in the future now!
Pat's wife, Rita, also runs the B&B, and she came in after work to welcome us. We all decided to head to the local pub to check out some of the music, and it was so delightful to be included in Pat and Rita's usual routine. The music was different to my usual taste, but we had a great night - it was lovely to do something different and it felt like we were with friends. Brennan's, the local pub, even handed around biscuits, cake, tea and sandwiches - what better way to end a night at the pub!
We rolled back (or, rather, I rolled back! #lightweight) to the B&B just before 1 a.m and fell into our cosy beds. The room we were given was absolutely gorgeous (and the very same one Daniel O'Donnell himself stayed in) - bright, airy and full of little touches that made it feel so welcoming. Homemade biscuits in a Kilner jar on the coffee table, a book composed by Pat himself, and mugs made by a local potter. It was so quiet and the beds were so comfortable - I never thought I'd hear myself say I slept in Daniel O'Donnell's bed but there you go! There's a first time for everything.
In the morning I had a lovely shower in the ensuite bathroom. The shower pressure was amazing - I know, what a boring thing to notice! It was then time for breakfast. Pat had asked us the night before if we would like some porridge for breakfast as they make it with pinhead oats, which are meant to add more texture - but they need to be steeped overnight. We rarely eat porridge so we decided to give it a go.
Rita had set the table out beautifully when we came down. Breakfast was served in the conservatory dining room area. Sun streamed in through the windows, soft music played in the background and the table was full of goodies - orange juice, yoghurts (even Alpro ones for me which was a lovely touch!), homemade scones, a bowl of fresh fruit, pots of seeds, maple syrup, honey and cream for the porridge, and our porridge itself topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Everything was delicious, I was so touched there was even a pot of dairy free milk and the dairy free yoghurts for me so I didn't feel like I was missing out! Moy River really went above and beyond to cater to dietary needs, even when mum and I were particularly awkward when the fruit salad contained kiwi which we're both allergic to! Rita made us up a fresh one with no kiwi and assured us it was no hassle at all.
After our lovely breakfast we were both stuffed, so we went outside to look at the chickens and the little 200 year old cottage also owned by Pat and Rita. It has a real vintage feel to it and it's such a lovely little cottage.
If you're looking for a proper Irish rural break, want to get away from it all or just have a nice quiet night away, this is absolutely the place for you. I felt like I knew Pat and Rita for years, they were so friendly and accommodating, and I felt all my stresses melt away when I walked into the house. Thanks again to Pat and Rita for giving us a break we'll never forget! Check out their website here.
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