Go Ireland:The trip of a lifetime continues for Deniseand Mark Duffield-Thomas, winners of the 'Ultimate Job in Ireland', as they seek out the best in Irish hospitality for 'homey-mooners'
WE SOMETIMES lose count, but our “ultimate job” has taken us to nine countries so far, from the bustling city of New York to the unspoilt beaches of Zanzibar. We have no physical address, but one country has truly captured our heart and welcomed us completely . . . Ireland.
Patriotism is a quintessential Irish trait, and now we understand why you’re so proud of your country. In these uncertain times, it’s important to support home-grown businesses, so that’s why we embarked on our great Irish road trip.
We wanted to seek out the best of Irish hospitality – staycation for the honeymoon testers, a homey-moon if you like. And why not? Ireland has virtually every ingredient for a memorable holiday: the best welcome, beautiful beaches, unbelievable mountains, magical forests, friendly towns, locally-grown food and great craic to be had. Pity about the weather sometimes, but nothing’s perfect!
With so much on offer, we had to cram a lot in – weddings, horse-riding, spa breaks, self-catering adventures, a Paddy Wagon tour, boat trips and a huge variety of Ireland’s major tourist attractions. We’ve criss-crossed the country in our snazzy sports car and sampled enough seafood chowder to set up our own official ranking (Lohans in Salthill is pretty good).
WE WANT TOset a Guinness World Record for Most Married Couple, so we have been clocking up the vow renewals. We're close to 70 by now, with at least 40 having been performed in Ireland.
We’ve been married by famous matchmaker Willie Daly, Ireland’s wife-carrying champion John O’Shea, councillor Michael Healy Rae, a Druid priest, chefs, hotel managers . . . you name it. Everyone but Jedward has married us.
Ceremonies have been conducted at the top of the Cliffs of Moher, in horse-drawn carriages, under the famous stalactite in Doolin Cave, on pedal boats in Rosscarbery, crossing a river on horseback, in forests, on beaches, in pubs, and even in a bath of seaweed in Donegal.
Thousands of recently engaged couples will be looking for their perfect wedding and reception venue this year, and we’ve uncovered some absolute gems on our trip.
Don’t worry if you’re not getting married – virtually every place we’ve tested can double as a romantic spa break, anniversary celebration or even a hen party. Guys who are looking to pop the question should take note!
We really wanted to make an effort to support Ireland’s great independent hotels, and every single one is a credit to the industry.
Full reviews can be found on our blog (thehoneymoontesters.com), but here are some highlights:
The Celtic Ross in Rosscarbery is beautifully situated overlooking the bay and gets the award for best honeymoon suite.
The Royal Marine in Dún Laoghaire is a romantic Victorian mansion-style hotel, just minutes from the famous, sparkling harbour.
Kenmare Bay Hotel is famed for its fresh, local food and brilliant location, and will be remembered for its wedding fireworks display.
Ireland’s hotels have some of the best spa facilities in the world, and our two favourite spa/wedding venues are the atmospheric Falls Hotel in Co Clare, which has a hot stone massage that will make your life complete, and the Silver Tassie Seascape Spa in Letterkenny, home of our infamous seaweed wedding, and the best fluffy robes and relaxation room we’ve seen.
When we’re tired of hotel pampering, self-catering with Trident Holiday Homes has been a brilliant way to travel the country. We did a tour of five homes around the country and we can imagine that families and couples with small children will really appreciate the privacy and space of the large, fully equipped houses.
We certainly needed some exercise after all that wedding cake and champagne, so we’ve sampled some more adventurous holidays. We hired bikes and explored the Aran Islands, hiked up the slate steps of Skellig Michael, and decided that Ireland would be the perfect place to learn to ride horses.
We tested some brilliant family-run riding centres and can recommend the Bel-Air in Co Wicklow for cross-country trails and great craic with a post-ride pint. Killarney Riding Stables has stunning lakes and the national park right next door, and the organic garden and enchanted woodlands at the Slieve Aughty Centre in Loughrea, Co Galway, is wonderful.
If it’s luxury and exclusivity that you crave, we found two of the most unique country estates in Europe, offering a combination of world-class equestrian centres, golf, fishing and clay pigeon shooting with the five-star spa facilities and fine dining of top class hotels. They are both incredible wedding venues, too, with immaculate personal service and a real wow factor.
The enchanting Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny has incredible gardens, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and country pursuits fit for a king. A tour of the estate, including a visit to the hound kennels, is a must, and their chef gets extra points for providing the best dining experience of our entire trip.
Castle Leslie in Co Monaghan, a wonderfully eccentric estate owned by the same family since the 1660s, has a quirky story to tell in every corner of the 1,000-acre estate. Deep Victorian tin baths, UFO sightings, the wedding of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills . . . the list goes on. Castle Leslie has personality and cutting-edge hospitality in a romantic setting.
Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford gets our vote as most romantic wedding ceremony location. Followed by a reception at Horetown House this would make any bride weak at the knees.
AFTER CHATTINGto brides-to-be at Barnardos' bridal evening in Carlow and catching up on some sleep at the Talbot hotel, we headed down to Co Kerry. This is our last big trip in Ireland, and we could not have asked for a better experience.
I’m writing this over a half-pint in Kenmare, and I wanted to compose a love letter to Ireland, but what hasn’t already been said by famous poets, thinkers and dreamers throughout your history?
We can only promise to tell everyone we meet about the beauty of Ireland and encourage the world’s lovers to celebrate their weddings and honeymoons here.
And they’ll be glad they did. The magical landscape of your green country is unparalleled, the warmth of your people is legendary. Even when times are tough and recovery seems slow, you still have a warmth in your heart that makes a huge impact on the rest of the world. You’ve certainly made us welcome.
Three more countries to go. Follow the rest of our adventure at thehoneymoontesters.com.
Our Irish adventures were supported by the Select Hotels of Ireland, Trident Holiday Homes, Argus Rental Car and organised by RunawayBrideand Groom.com. Horse-riding holidays by ZarasPlanet.com, wedding and vow renewals arrangements by weddingplanner.ie.