We've just returned from a weekend away in Dublin, made all the more special by staying in this beautiful house. Rathgar is a lovely area. There are cafes and restaurants nearby (5-10 mins walk) if you don't want to travel into town and Cathy's recommendations were excellent. We can vouch for Bijou (evening meal), Fia (brunch) and Ernersto's (coffee/lunch). It's a 5-minute walk to the bus stop (outside Ernesto's) where there are buses into town literally every 2-3 minutes. Taxi to/from the airport was half an hour.
The house had everything we needed including provisions left in the fridge (be warned there is no television!) Cathy's housekeeper was there to meet us as she was away and we were able to drop our bags off early. (We also met who I now realise must have been Rufo - we were rather hoping he was part of the deal and would have been happy to look after him for the weekend!)
Cathy emailed advice and instructions before our trip and was kind enough to ring me on arrival to check all was OK.
Five stars!