Guilcagh Church is really stunning. It is worth spending time there just to experience it. The hosts are correct that a car is needed to access any local services but there is a multitude of options within 10-30 minutes drive in every direction. The house is great, we had some difficulty with the oven but Carmel helped out and we had dinner in which was very enjoyable. There is a brilliant sense of seclusion in the church, you can really switch off and forget about real life for awhile. The silence at night and comfortable beds meant we had the best sleep ever!
In terms of what to do in the area, we went for a late evening walk to De La Poer Tower in Portlaw woods and I would highly recommend it, a very easy walk but enough to stretch the legs and you can actually climb to the top of the tower and the view is immense!!
We spent one day on the Greenway to Dungarvan and back, and we cycled from the church - it is just short of 5km from the gates to the nearest entry point of the Greenway, a bit hilly on your return but very doable if you didn't want to drive to the Greenway.
The Coachouse/Work House in Kilmacthomas was brilliant for coffee, treats and lunch. Centra in Kilmacthomas was also a really great resource for us, had all we needed for a weekend. I'd love to return and do the Greenway to Waterford and Comshiguan, still on the list!
Thanks Carmel and Liam for such a great base for our weekend in Port Láirge, we will be back!!