Maggie's Cottage is the perfect cozy home base for visiting Kilkenny (30 minute drive) and Waterford (45 minutes) as well as the Dunmore Caves and Dunbrody Famine Ship. The cottage has everything you could possibly want, including washer and dryer, microwave, cooktop and oven, and of course a toaster and electric teakettle. The fire in the living room keeps the place cozy and warm and provides a great atmosphere for relaxing after the day's adventures. We stayed in mid January when Borris House and the Step House Hotel were both closed, so there wasn't that much to do in Borris, but the Centra is within walking distance so it's easy to find something to cook for dinner, and there are loads of nice pubs in all of the small towns in the area. Our favorite was the Jerpoint Inn in Thomastown, which had a great atmosphere and really good food. Keep in mind that Joyce's pub doesn't do food, and O'Shea's only serves food until 7:00 PM, so if you like to eat late you'll have limited options in Borris itself.
In addition to the Centra, the post office and Bank of Ireland are just a short walk away, and if you want a longer walk the cottage is right on the South Leinster Way and would be a great way station for hiking the entire trail. I ran the section of trail along the river Barrow to Graignamanagh and back, about 25 kilometers round trip and enjoyed looking at the locks on the river and watching some kayakers taking a class on the river. If you had a second car you could walk all the way to Inistioge (29km) for a well deserved pint. We drove up to the Nine Stones and walked the road to the top of Mt. Leinster on a cold day with icy fog, and it was blowing a gale. Might be a better hike sometime other than January.
If you are planning a trip to SE Ireland you will be very happy at Maggie's Cottage. We were, and we would love to return.