If you want a relaxing, roomy, comfortable and welcoming place to stay while in Ireland, do NOT pass up Dairy Lodge. It is peaceful, beautiful and conveniently situated just below Limerick. After a long flight and too many events planned on our first day (my fault), Anne Marie and Ger still waited up for us, helped us in with the luggage, and made sure we had everything we needed.

If you are worried about children running around, do NOT let it stop you from making a reservation. The children are very well-behaved and Anne Marie does a great job keeping them quiet in the mornings. They are as polite and charming as their parents.

The home is nicely proportioned with a large sitting/dining/kitchen area. An L-shaped sofa and chair around a coffee table with an electric fireplace makes for a cozy conversation area. Kitchen now has what we in the US would call a toaster oven (a very large, deluxe toaster oven). The large master bedroom downstairs has a wardrobe with hangers and is next to the bathroom with shower, sink & toilet in one room. With four girls sharing one bathroom, we never ran out of hot water or lost water pressure. Mattresses were comfy and electrical outlets were plentiful.

Anne Marie and Ger were full of suggestions for what to see and do. Every recommendation they made was rewarding. One of the girls on the trip required the services of a physician. Anne Marie called the MD, set up the appt, gave us directions and made sure we got there. So thoughtful and sweet!

Yes, Dairy Lodge is off the beaten track, but isn't that why you're coming to Ireland? If you want to interact with a real Irish family and stay in a modern, large accommodation, Dairy Lodge is for you. Watching the cows come in with a Border Collie's help, looking across fields of soft green pasture, and breathing in the fresh, clean air was so restful and therapeutic. I wish we had stayed at Dairy Lodge 3 nights instead of 2 and used it for a base to explore the surrounding counties.