The house was great! It's about 16 Kilometres north of Galway and I would recommend hiring cars for your trip because the house is off the beaten track.
But once you are there I challenge anybody not to fall in love with it.
The main living area has heaps of character, with a big hardwood dining table, several lovely armchairs and sofas, and an open fire place, with plenty of fuel outside to make great fires. It also has a beamed ceiling, which I've always been a sucker for.
There is also the largest record collection that I have ever seen, stacked in rows on a giant sofa.
Upstairs is just as much of a treasure trove, with bedrooms within bedrooms, secret hatches into other rooms, and my particular favourite, the crows nest bed on the landing, with steps up it, built directly into the stone and a huge window with a view of the garden and the fields beyond.
One of the guys I was with described it as The Burrow from Harry Potter but in real life.
The showers are in a separate block which can be disorientating in the mornings, and I'd recommend flip- flops or sandals for the purpose of making your way over there. However the fact that there is Sauna in this block more than makes up for the fact you have to do a little outside walk for you're morning shower.
I was there with a big group celebrating my brothers wedding, and we found taxi's to and from Galway to be between 20 and 30 euros, so this a perfect place for groups who want the best of both worlds. We were able to spend full days entirely on site, enjoying the company of the small army of cats, a particularly charming ageing dog, but were also able to head into the city to explore for a day.
When we arrived Dhana the main housekeeper was ready to show us around, she helped us with starting the sauna and how to use various bits of kitchen equipment and how to use the houses extensive and organised recycling system.
All in all it was a friendly, enjoyable and exciting stay.