Pierce Duggan and his wife Joan returned to the family home and farm that’s located at the Castle, Two-Mile Borris near Thurles following the death of his mother, Mary, in 1992. The farm was in dairying and now is in tillage and beef. The family home was an old house that needed a lot of renovating to make it comfortable.
“We built an extension that gave us extra rooms, but also left us with a big bill,” says Pierce.
Pierce Duggan of The Castle Country House, Two-Mile Borris.\ Donal O'Leary
In the late 1990s Pierce completed the options course run by Teagasc. B&B and beekeeping were options the couple investigated and they got into both with different degrees of success. “We opened our doors in March 2000 and our first guests were a group of 21 from a GAA club in Northern Ireland and we’ve kept the doors open ever since.”
Today, 40% of their business comes from the US with continental, Irish and UK visitors making up the balance. “The UK market was very important to us but right from the moment of the Brexit referendum vote, business suffered. And it hasn’t recovered,” says Pierce.
In the early years, being near Semple Stadium was a great boost with lots of GAA business coming their way. However, with a more improved road network nowadays, this business is less important now. “We had great overflow business from B&Bs in the area and this helped fill our rooms.”
Pierce and Joan reared their family during these years but say their children weren’t fans of the business.
“They think better of it now that they realise they had their parents at home as they were growing up.
“Working in a business like ours taught them how to integrate and deal with people, and that’s no burden to carry,” says Pierce. And they might get involved in the business at a later date he adds.
Used to an open house
When Helen Doyle was growing up, the kitchen door was never locked and people called in all the time. “It was a rambling house and I thought every house was like that.”
When she married Laurence in 1989 and they moved into their own bungalow she was known to put on a full pot of potatoes, her excuse being “that you never know who might call in”.
Helen Doyle runs Brandon View House, Graignamanagh, Co Kilkenny. \ Donal O'Leary
Living in Brandon View House, Graiguenamanagh, the Doyle’s are not far from Goresbridge and its three big horse sales a year. Rosslare isn’t that far away and Helen spotted an opportunity with so many UK registered cars passing her door.
In 1994, while at home with two young children – Orla and Michael – she added three guest rooms and opened her door to guests. “People thought we were mad. We’d only one en suite which shows how things have changed. I remember putting out our handmade sign and our first guests were three Italian bikers in full leathers. I charged €12 a night and when they asked for dinner, I served them ours, which was a leg of lamb.”
I love it and I am learning all the time
That was Helen’s introduction to running a B&B and she hasn’t looked back. She’s now in business 25 years and has six guest rooms. “I love it and I am learning all the time.”
These days, the American market is where most of her business comes from with hill walkers and Belgian fishermen also being important.
So what are the positives of running a B&B? “I got to be at home for our three children and that was important to me. The house has paid for itself and is kept in great condition.”
As to the future she would trust any of her children to take over and says they all developed a great way with people, having to deal with them all their lives.
Orla is a nurse, Michael is an agricultural mechanic and the youngest, Laurence, is a carpenter.
‘So excited I couldn’t sleep’
The O’Gorman family are dairy farmers from Ballymacarbry in Co Waterford. The late Paddy and his brother John farmed together and the two families remain heavily involved in farming.
In 1994 Olive and Paddy O’Gorman had six children under the age of 10 and badly needed a larger kitchen not to mention some extra bedrooms. “They were all stretching out at the same time and we needed more space.”
Olive O' Gorman runs Glasha House, Ballymacarbry. \ Donal O'Leary
The initial idea was to expand their existing home – Glasha House – but then their engineer suggested connecting the house with a long lofted outbuilding to create four new rooms.
“Then he suggested we make those rooms en suite. The children wouldn’t be living with us forever and then we’d have the option of doing B&B. He really got us thinking.”
Once the idea was in her head it didn’t take long for Olive to get her B&B up and running.
“I was beating around the bush and then I got a call from Mary Wall of Hanora’s Cottage and she told me to go for it and said she’d help me any way she could.
“I was so excited by the idea I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to get going.”
While the extra rooms were built, they weren’t furnished and their bank manager helped out with a well-timed loan.
Our first guests were an overflow from Hanora’s Cottage and other B&Bs
Olive opened her doors for the St Patrick’s weekend of 1995 and has never looked back.
“Our first guests were an overflow from Hanora’s Cottage and other B&Bs. We registered with Fáilte Ireland and with word of mouth, recommendations business started to grow.”
Recognition through awards
Another great source of free publicity and follow-on business for Olive was being successful at awards.
“Early on, I finished as a top 20 finalist in the AA Landlady of the Year Awards. That award covered Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and it’s unknown the amount of business the publicity generated. People saw us on the paper and that was good enough for them to make a booking.”
Over the years business has grown from strength to strength and Olive continues to win accolades and awards.
Olive O’Gorman and Helen Doyle. \ Donal O'Leary
In 2002, she won Fáilte Ireland’s National Warm Welcome award and was the first farmhouse B&B in Ireland to get five stars. Just recently Glasha House B&B was named B&B of 2020 by Georgina Campbell’s National Hospitality Awards.
Olive’s advice to anyone thinking of doing B&B is to arm yourself with a good cookbook (she loves Darina Allen) and only do it if you are going to enjoy it. Like the others around the table she is hopeful that the next generation will keep the business going.
Beating the commute
Margaret Leahy was working with Dairygold in Mallow when she married Tom in 1980. The home place – Castle Farm – in Ballymacoda, Co Cork, had been purchased by Tom’s grandfather in 1917 and his mother, Nell and sisters were running a full board B&B there from the early 1960s.
Tom Leahy of Castle Farm B&B, Ballymacoda, Co Cork.\ Donal O'Leary
At that time, most of their guests were from Cork city and Northern Ireland before the Troubles began. After his sisters married and mother died they stopped taking guests. But after six or seven years with Margaret having to travel 46 miles to and from work every day, opening a B&B was back on the table.
“The commute was tough and it didn’t make sense, especially when we had a house that could take guests,” says Margaret. So she and her husband, armed with a pen and note book, set out to see what the standard of B&Bs was like right across the country.
“It was some learning experience. We took note of everything. We could have written a book on it,” says Tom.
Margaret Leahy of Castle Farm B&B, Ballymacoda, Co Cork. \ Donal O'Leary
They knew their house was in need of renovation and while there was hot and cold water in each bedroom there were no en suites. So the first jobs were to improve facilities, build bathrooms and put in new windows.
“It was a busy time. I had a baby in the pram and one in my arms and I’d be stirring a pot at the same time. We were constantly improving the place and the B&B paid for it all. It also put our children through college. Despite the hard work and the constant need to re-invest in the business I certainly would have no qualms about doing it all again,” says Margaret.
Speedy response versus snail mail
One of the big changes they’ve seen is the speed at which bookings are made. “When we started, we’d get a letter wanting to know if we had a room for a certain date and we’d reply to that.
“Then there’d be another letter asking about the price and deposit and that also needed a reply.
“Getting a deposit could take weeks. But on the upside, families stayed for a week at a time and we had an all-year-round business.”
Margaret and Tom’s children were reared to the business and they were well able to interact with guests, something that has stood to them.
As to the future they are confident the next generation will get involved, but not just yet.
Looking forward
In looking at the positive side of the business, all four operators are glad they took the plunge. “It’s a great feeling to see what can be achieved with support from your family. Making a business from your home is special,” says Olive.
Helen loves the comradeship of other B&B operators and that’s supported by Pierce and Margaret. All acknowledge the importance of the networking and training events organised by B&B Ireland.
On the negative side, Pierce Duggan is critical of the lack of Government support for the sector.
“There’s only about 750 registered B&Bs with about 3,000 bedrooms in the country. That’s the same as a few hotels in Dublin so really we are an inconvenience they could do without,” he says.
To do this properly, your heart has to be in it
All have experienced the impact of Airbnb and say it is taking from the true B&B business.
“To do this properly, your heart has to be in it. Staying in a registered B&B is a unique experience and people love it. But it’s a pity so few new operators are coming in,” says Helen.
They would advise anyone thinking of getting into the business to set aside time for family, even leaving one night a week without guests. But they acknowledge it’s easier said than done.
All agree being active on social media is essential for business. Good websites include bandbireland.com, booking.com, expedia.com and trivago.com. Ancestry research is another area that’s growing.
Soaring expectations
A common complaint of American visitors are the narrow roads with uncut hedgerows, according to Margaret.
“You can do nothing about it, but it is scary for some visitors.”
Helen says: “I tell them I’m proud of the roads, this is rural Ireland and that’s what you expect, I would agree the hedge rows should be cut earlier.”
Over the past 25 years, guest expectations have soared and they want standards to be as high as four-star hotels says Margaret.
That stalwart of the B&B, the traditional full Irish breakfast isn’t as popular as it once was
Olive agrees saying guests expect bathrooms in old houses to be as large as those in modern hotels.
That stalwart of the B&B, the traditional full Irish breakfast isn’t as popular as it once was.
Olive O’Gorman no longer offers it on her breakfast menu, saying guests prefer scrambled egg and smoked salmon, cheese, cold meats, cereals, yoghurts and such like.
All say that B&B operators, like themselves, need to be pro-active about keeping visitors in an area for an extra day or two.
“You need to give them a plan for what they can do within 10 or 20km of your house. That extra night’s business really counts,” says Helen. And that’s something everyone agrees on.
Sincere thanks to Olive O’Gorman for hosting us at her lovely home. It was easy to see why Glasha House is rated by Georgina Campbell as being the best B&B in the country.
Pierce Duggan and his wife Joan returned to the family home and farm that’s located at the Castle, Two-Mile Borris near Thurles following the death of his mother, Mary, in 1992. The farm was in dairying and now is in tillage and beef. The family home was an old house that needed a lot of renovating to make it comfortable.
“We built an extension that gave us extra rooms, but also left us with a big bill,” says Pierce.
Pierce Duggan of The Castle Country House, Two-Mile Borris.\ Donal O'Leary
In the late 1990s Pierce completed the options course run by Teagasc. B&B and beekeeping were options the couple investigated and they got into both with different degrees of success. “We opened our doors in March 2000 and our first guests were a group of 21 from a GAA club in Northern Ireland and we’ve kept the doors open ever since.”
Today, 40% of their business comes from the US with continental, Irish and UK visitors making up the balance. “The UK market was very important to us but right from the moment of the Brexit referendum vote, business suffered. And it hasn’t recovered,” says Pierce.
In the early years, being near Semple Stadium was a great boost with lots of GAA business coming their way. However, with a more improved road network nowadays, this business is less important now. “We had great overflow business from B&Bs in the area and this helped fill our rooms.”
Pierce and Joan reared their family during these years but say their children weren’t fans of the business.
“They think better of it now that they realise they had their parents at home as they were growing up.
“Working in a business like ours taught them how to integrate and deal with people, and that’s no burden to carry,” says Pierce. And they might get involved in the business at a later date he adds.
Used to an open house
When Helen Doyle was growing up, the kitchen door was never locked and people called in all the time. “It was a rambling house and I thought every house was like that.”
When she married Laurence in 1989 and they moved into their own bungalow she was known to put on a full pot of potatoes, her excuse being “that you never know who might call in”.
Helen Doyle runs Brandon View House, Graignamanagh, Co Kilkenny. \ Donal O'Leary
Living in Brandon View House, Graiguenamanagh, the Doyle’s are not far from Goresbridge and its three big horse sales a year. Rosslare isn’t that far away and Helen spotted an opportunity with so many UK registered cars passing her door.
In 1994, while at home with two young children – Orla and Michael – she added three guest rooms and opened her door to guests. “People thought we were mad. We’d only one en suite which shows how things have changed. I remember putting out our handmade sign and our first guests were three Italian bikers in full leathers. I charged €12 a night and when they asked for dinner, I served them ours, which was a leg of lamb.”
I love it and I am learning all the time
That was Helen’s introduction to running a B&B and she hasn’t looked back. She’s now in business 25 years and has six guest rooms. “I love it and I am learning all the time.”
These days, the American market is where most of her business comes from with hill walkers and Belgian fishermen also being important.
So what are the positives of running a B&B? “I got to be at home for our three children and that was important to me. The house has paid for itself and is kept in great condition.”
As to the future she would trust any of her children to take over and says they all developed a great way with people, having to deal with them all their lives.
Orla is a nurse, Michael is an agricultural mechanic and the youngest, Laurence, is a carpenter.
‘So excited I couldn’t sleep’
The O’Gorman family are dairy farmers from Ballymacarbry in Co Waterford. The late Paddy and his brother John farmed together and the two families remain heavily involved in farming.
In 1994 Olive and Paddy O’Gorman had six children under the age of 10 and badly needed a larger kitchen not to mention some extra bedrooms. “They were all stretching out at the same time and we needed more space.”
Olive O' Gorman runs Glasha House, Ballymacarbry. \ Donal O'Leary
The initial idea was to expand their existing home – Glasha House – but then their engineer suggested connecting the house with a long lofted outbuilding to create four new rooms.
“Then he suggested we make those rooms en suite. The children wouldn’t be living with us forever and then we’d have the option of doing B&B. He really got us thinking.”
Once the idea was in her head it didn’t take long for Olive to get her B&B up and running.
“I was beating around the bush and then I got a call from Mary Wall of Hanora’s Cottage and she told me to go for it and said she’d help me any way she could.
“I was so excited by the idea I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to get going.”
While the extra rooms were built, they weren’t furnished and their bank manager helped out with a well-timed loan.
Our first guests were an overflow from Hanora’s Cottage and other B&Bs
Olive opened her doors for the St Patrick’s weekend of 1995 and has never looked back.
“Our first guests were an overflow from Hanora’s Cottage and other B&Bs. We registered with Fáilte Ireland and with word of mouth, recommendations business started to grow.”
Recognition through awards
Another great source of free publicity and follow-on business for Olive was being successful at awards.
“Early on, I finished as a top 20 finalist in the AA Landlady of the Year Awards. That award covered Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and it’s unknown the amount of business the publicity generated. People saw us on the paper and that was good enough for them to make a booking.”
Over the years business has grown from strength to strength and Olive continues to win accolades and awards.
Olive O’Gorman and Helen Doyle. \ Donal O'Leary
In 2002, she won Fáilte Ireland’s National Warm Welcome award and was the first farmhouse B&B in Ireland to get five stars. Just recently Glasha House B&B was named B&B of 2020 by Georgina Campbell’s National Hospitality Awards.
Olive’s advice to anyone thinking of doing B&B is to arm yourself with a good cookbook (she loves Darina Allen) and only do it if you are going to enjoy it. Like the others around the table she is hopeful that the next generation will keep the business going.
Beating the commute
Margaret Leahy was working with Dairygold in Mallow when she married Tom in 1980. The home place – Castle Farm – in Ballymacoda, Co Cork, had been purchased by Tom’s grandfather in 1917 and his mother, Nell and sisters were running a full board B&B there from the early 1960s.
Tom Leahy of Castle Farm B&B, Ballymacoda, Co Cork.\ Donal O'Leary
At that time, most of their guests were from Cork city and Northern Ireland before the Troubles began. After his sisters married and mother died they stopped taking guests. But after six or seven years with Margaret having to travel 46 miles to and from work every day, opening a B&B was back on the table.
“The commute was tough and it didn’t make sense, especially when we had a house that could take guests,” says Margaret. So she and her husband, armed with a pen and note book, set out to see what the standard of B&Bs was like right across the country.
“It was some learning experience. We took note of everything. We could have written a book on it,” says Tom.
Margaret Leahy of Castle Farm B&B, Ballymacoda, Co Cork. \ Donal O'Leary
They knew their house was in need of renovation and while there was hot and cold water in each bedroom there were no en suites. So the first jobs were to improve facilities, build bathrooms and put in new windows.
“It was a busy time. I had a baby in the pram and one in my arms and I’d be stirring a pot at the same time. We were constantly improving the place and the B&B paid for it all. It also put our children through college. Despite the hard work and the constant need to re-invest in the business I certainly would have no qualms about doing it all again,” says Margaret.
Speedy response versus snail mail
One of the big changes they’ve seen is the speed at which bookings are made. “When we started, we’d get a letter wanting to know if we had a room for a certain date and we’d reply to that.
“Then there’d be another letter asking about the price and deposit and that also needed a reply.
“Getting a deposit could take weeks. But on the upside, families stayed for a week at a time and we had an all-year-round business.”
Margaret and Tom’s children were reared to the business and they were well able to interact with guests, something that has stood to them.
As to the future they are confident the next generation will get involved, but not just yet.
Looking forward
In looking at the positive side of the business, all four operators are glad they took the plunge. “It’s a great feeling to see what can be achieved with support from your family. Making a business from your home is special,” says Olive.
Helen loves the comradeship of other B&B operators and that’s supported by Pierce and Margaret. All acknowledge the importance of the networking and training events organised by B&B Ireland.
On the negative side, Pierce Duggan is critical of the lack of Government support for the sector.
“There’s only about 750 registered B&Bs with about 3,000 bedrooms in the country. That’s the same as a few hotels in Dublin so really we are an inconvenience they could do without,” he says.
To do this properly, your heart has to be in it
All have experienced the impact of Airbnb and say it is taking from the true B&B business.
“To do this properly, your heart has to be in it. Staying in a registered B&B is a unique experience and people love it. But it’s a pity so few new operators are coming in,” says Helen.
They would advise anyone thinking of getting into the business to set aside time for family, even leaving one night a week without guests. But they acknowledge it’s easier said than done.
All agree being active on social media is essential for business. Good websites include bandbireland.com, booking.com, expedia.com and trivago.com. Ancestry research is another area that’s growing.
Soaring expectations
A common complaint of American visitors are the narrow roads with uncut hedgerows, according to Margaret.
“You can do nothing about it, but it is scary for some visitors.”
Helen says: “I tell them I’m proud of the roads, this is rural Ireland and that’s what you expect, I would agree the hedge rows should be cut earlier.”
Over the past 25 years, guest expectations have soared and they want standards to be as high as four-star hotels says Margaret.
That stalwart of the B&B, the traditional full Irish breakfast isn’t as popular as it once was
Olive agrees saying guests expect bathrooms in old houses to be as large as those in modern hotels.
That stalwart of the B&B, the traditional full Irish breakfast isn’t as popular as it once was.
Olive O’Gorman no longer offers it on her breakfast menu, saying guests prefer scrambled egg and smoked salmon, cheese, cold meats, cereals, yoghurts and such like.
All say that B&B operators, like themselves, need to be pro-active about keeping visitors in an area for an extra day or two.
“You need to give them a plan for what they can do within 10 or 20km of your house. That extra night’s business really counts,” says Helen. And that’s something everyone agrees on.
Sincere thanks to Olive O’Gorman for hosting us at her lovely home. It was easy to see why Glasha House is rated by Georgina Campbell as being the best B&B in the country.
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