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Irish thatched cottage rentals in authentically restored pre-famine village near Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland.
Irish Thatched Cottages Rentals - County Galway, Ireland
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SPIDDAL
Traditional Irish Hilltop Cottage Cluster
County Galway, Ireland
 

This is an authentic pre-famine hill village.  The owners bought their house and the property for the privacy and the views.  While clearing years of overgrowth from the land, they discovered a 350-year old derelict  cottage.  Subsequent explorations revealed the remains of a small hamlet.  These several cottages, dating from the Battle of Aughrim (1691) and the famine (1845), have been authentically restored, retaining many original features.  It’s taken several years to do this.  They have given great care to the land, paid attention to every stone and tree.   The results are emotional and beautiful.

Drive with your back to the sea and turn onto a rough track through raw bog land.  Enter the tiny hamlet and turn down a narrow laneway that leads to the old well and potato fields.


THE COTTAGES
An Sceach Gheal (The White Thorn)

Accommodates 6 - 7
6 bedrooms
5 bathrooms

The owners were astonished to find this 350-year old stone cottage when they cleared decades of brush from the site.  Tucked in to the hillside, the cottage is surrounded by wild heather and bog. The owners have restored this thatched cottage with a reverence for the people who lived here so long ago.  Though modern and comfortable, it retains the aura of the original cottage.  It is very tiny and very lovely.
 

Step into the small sitting/dining room that is taller than it is wide.  It has the original fireplace, stone floors with underfloor heating, walls painted soft colors, traditional small windows.  Upholstered chairs and wood tables are custom-made.  Appointments are sympathetic to the cottage’s history. 


Two en suite bedrooms, both small, one with an antique standard double bed and one with a single bed, are on the ground floor  Two bright tiled en suite bathrooms each has a shower.  A narrow stairway leads to avery tiny bedroom above the living room.  It has a single bed and a small chest of drawers.

A short corridor leads to a small wing, named Ciob (Sedge), that was once a stable.  The tiny kitchen is a delight: beautiful tiled floors, walls and counter tops, a stove, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher and microwave.  


Off the corridor, there is a small tiled shower room.  There is a second sitting room, very small.  It, too, has a peat-burning fireplace.  There are two single bedrooms off the sitting room and two shower rooms, one en suite.  Up a narrow, winding stairway there is another single bedroom.



An Nead (The Nest)
Accommodates 2
1 bedroom
1 bathroom

This is a wonderful, tiny slate-roofed cottage.  It has a living/dining room with comfortable furniture and nice appointments, a stone floor, underfloor heating, a peat fireplace, TV, video, radio.  The tiny kitchen has a tiled floor, walls and counter tops, a stove, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher and microwave.  The bedroom has a twin beds that can be pushed together.  The cheerful en suite bathroom has a shower.
Ireland Traditional Cottage Vacation Rental
Ireland Traditional Cottage Vacation Rental
Ireland Traditional Cottage Vacation Rental
Ireland Traditional Cottage Vacation Rental
Ireland Traditional Cottage Vacation Rental


An Sean Teach (The Old House)

Accommodates 4
2 bedrooms
1 bathroom

This 170 year old thatched cshed and store house was supposed to be demolished, but the owners had other ideas.   It is now a delighgul cottage.

  

The small sitting/dining room has four comfortable chairs, nice accessorites, stone floors with underfloor heating, a fireplace, TV, video, radio.  The compact kitchen has a stove, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher and microwave.  The ground-floor bedroom has twin beds.  The loft, above the living/dining room, has a traditional cast iron double bed.  The bathroom, off the sitting room, has a tiled shower.  The little garden is perfect for al fresco meals.


CULTURAL WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES:

The owners present frequent cultural workshops and classes pertaining to Irish history, traditional music, watercolour painting, photography, Celtic mythology, Irish history.  They are designed for children and adults.  For these occasions, the entire village is rented for two nights.  We are happy to give you more information about these interesting and enjoyable classes.   One of the owners is an internationationally-known Irish fiddle player and music classes and workshops are often presented.

They use two buildings for the classes, The Meeting Room and The Studio.
 
The Meeting Room is near An Nead and An Sceach Gheal cottages.  It is a small stone building that can seat 20 or so people for meetings, discussions, projects.  It can also be rented for dining if you rent all of the cottages at a time when there are no classes.  The atmosphere of the meeting room is warm and comfortable.

Up near Sean Teach, The Studio is a larger gathering area that can seat 35 people.  It is used for conferences, classes, performances.  An adjacent kitchen makes it the perfect place for meals during the workshops or courses.  Two guest bathrooms, each with a shower, are adjacent to the building.

Ireland Thatched Cottage Vacation Rental                                                                   

The property is on the wild and haunting Connemara landscapes: blanket bog, old stone walls, panoramic views of the lake, mountains, river and Galway Bay.  Connemara ponies, red grouse, otter and mistle thrush, heathers and wild orchids abound.  The spectacular sunsets, starry night skies and ever-changing colours in this landscape have been a powerful source of inspiration to generations of artists, poets, photographers and ecologists.

The owners take pride in the fact that the fuel source for the lower cottges, An Sceach Gheal and An Nead, is from the river and the earth.  A pipe and a heat pump brings energy to the cottages so they are self-sufficient.

This is a work in progress: the owners are still making improvements and changes.  Each time we visit, we are amazed by the energy and committment to this place.  They are stewards of a the land and the dwellings.  Their love, vision and labor are what makes this place so incredibly special.

The property is 3.5 miles from the coastal village of Spiddal (An Spidéal) on Galway Bay.  Galway City is a 20 minute drive.  Shannon Airport is 60 miles.
 

You can rent one cottage or all three cottages (accommodating up to 13 people).  

Unfortunately, this property is not suitable for children under 12 as the bogland can be dangerous.  The owners are unable to accept dogs.  
 
ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:

An Sean Teach cottage is accessible to anyone with mild to moderate mobility limitations.  The lower cottages are down a dirt track so walking to them may not be easy for anyone with mobility limitations.  However, the lower cottages have a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor so, once inside, they are accessible to anyone with mild mobility limitations.
 

2008 WEEKLY PRICES
Price includes a daily bale of peat.
Heating and electricity are charged at cost by meter reading.
A refundable security deposit of E250 per cottage is due on arrival.
The cottages are not available during Christmas and New Year.

Rest of Year
May, June, Sept & Oct 
July & August
An Sceach Gheal
€ 690
€ 880
€ 990
An Sean Teach
€ 500
€ 590
€ 700
An Nead
€ 470
€ 540
€ 605

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