Mary's and Alan's cottage was more than we had even hoped for; it was charming, picturesque, and attention had been paid to every detail. It was a perfect place to relax in the Irish countryside and as a jumping off point for our Aran Islands trip. Not only was the cottage perfect, but Mary and Alan are pretty much the nicest people in the world. We were talking to Mary about how much we loved her garden (it's even more beautiful than the pictures show) and, in particular, how impressive her artichokes were. Mary offered to cut some off the plants so we could have them for dinner, which was, in itself, very generous. Then, we got back pretty late from our trip to the islands, and, not only had she harvested them for us, she had cooked and prepared them! They were wonderful hosts and we would love to come back and stay in their lovely cottage again.