Irish people are famously friendly and kind, but Patrina takes it to the next level. Meeting her and Peter turned what might otherwise have been a disaster into a surprisingly pleasant vacation.
We'd booked at River Forest Cottage because I managed to badly break my leg on holiday and needed a wheelchair-accessible place to heal from surgery. After staying at some other "wheelchair-friendly" lodging, I was convinced that qualifying as "friendly" simply meant a person in a wheelchair could physically get into your sitting room, but that's it. Want to take a shower, cook a meal, sit at a table, or use the toilet? Too bad.
Then I rolled into Patrina's and had the luxury of being fairly self-sufficient. There's space for even a novice chair-user like me to move around and access all the rooms in the house. There is not one, but TWO accessible bathrooms with showers - shower seat, grab bars, controls at the proper height for sitting... I was able to actually use all the amenities I'd always taken for granted. Further, upon seeing my situation (and skill level), Patrina brought over additional mobility and access tools that helped greatly. She also arranged for a last-minute doctor appointment for my husband and was always happy to give advice, help plan outings, and even to pop over to make a turf fire for us. She might be an angel.
On top of the amazing hospitality of our hosts, the house itself is lovely. Well-appointed, tastefully decorated, and containing everything you need (including some food staples in the kitchen, plenty of pots and pans, dishes, towels, etc), River Forest Cottage is a first-class accommodation. And it is located in one of the most beautiful, pastoral settings you're likely to find.
You could happily sit home and watch the light and shadow change on the Achill Island mountains all day or watch the ballet of barn swallows dance around the sheep in the fields around the house, but there are also dozens of breathtaking drives and hikes (even some wheelchair-accessible ones!) nearby. Patrina has an excellent collection of brochures and maps of everything cool to do within a day's drive of the house.
Overall, 15/10 Will definitely be back.