THEN: In 2018, Irish Country Living shared the inspiring story of Daragh McDonagh, who swapped her life in London to move to Co Kerry to renovate and reopen the iconic Barrow House as a boutique B&B - after buying the property at auction, without having even seen it in real life.
NOW: While lockdown has hit the Irish hospitality industry hard, Daragh has made the most of the “time out” by completing two major projects at Barrow House, which had been on her to-do list for some time.
“This is the time that I never thought I’d get, so I addressed the overgrowth and the land management,” she says. “It was incredibly positive in a very negative space.”
Daragh explains that “the back field” behind Barrow House was always a rough piece of land, but it has now been landscaped as a beautiful garden, with a chicken coop and a path for guests to walk to the beach. She has also tackled the vines and ivy that were “strangling” the woodland at the house, and planted over 70 trees to create a shelter belt for Barrow Hill, while also encouraging biodiversity.
The slight disadvantage of not having what is our luxury cream on top, will you remember that? Will that be the impact on the holiday? Not at all
“Smaller plants are coming through,” she says enthusiastically. “I’m more excited about that than anything this year, because I’ve just seen how nature has bounced back after it’s been given a helping hand.”
Bookings wise, she says that her busy season is usually July to September, so she was not too badly affected by the travel restrictions in spring and early summer. When she opens her doors on 29 June, she’s hoping that Irish guests will balance the fall off in overseas travellers.
“I definitely see that our impact is going to be the overseas travellers and where there is a gap created by someone who can’t travel from America, it will be backfilled by an Irish person looking at a staycation, possibly for the first time,” she says.
Daragh is hoping that Irish people will consider a staycation at Barrow House this summer. \ Lynda Kenny
To this end, she has put on her thinking cap and come up with unique offers – for instance, she is hoping to attract the Irish golfing market by teaming up with her neighbours at Tralee Golf Club to offer two nights B&B with two rounds of golf for €460 per person sharing.
She is also hoping that a break at Barrow House will appeal to Irish people who have been cooped up in urban environments and badly want an escape.
“I’m finding that people who have come out of the city are desperate for a retreat and they really want to get away from it – they want space, they want privacy, they want exclusivity,” she says.
Of course, social distancing means that some things will have to change. One of the highlights of a stay at Barrow House in normal times is breakfast at the communal table with other guests, so this summer, visitors will have the option to have breakfast in bed or to sit in the dining room, which has been divided in two.
It’s unfortunate, because a lot of our draw is luxury and the aesthetic of the room
Guidelines also mean that a lot of luxury touches have to be removed from the bedrooms.
“It’s unfortunate, because a lot of our draw is luxury and the aesthetic of the room – the velvet feather filled cushions, the accessories, the binoculars, the telescopes – all these things have to be removed unfortunately and they’re the things that help to make a stay that little bit more special,” says Daragh.
One of the attractions of Barrow House are the beautiful views from the bedrooms. \ Lynda Kenny
However, she is confident that COVID-19 can’t take away the true essence of a break at Barrow House.
“I think what’s important is understanding that when people come to Barrow, they generally don’t stay in their room. The draw is the beaches, the sport, Fenit, the walking, the hiking, the touring, getting to Dingle, doing the Ring of Kerry. So from our point of view, the slight disadvantage of not having what is our luxury cream on top, will you remember that? Will that be the impact on the holiday? Not at all,” she says.
“What’s going to make the holiday is the beauty of the area, the space, the greenery, the looking out of your window and seeing the view. They’re the things that people comment on all the time. So really that’s not changed.”
For further information, visit www.barrowhouse.ie
Read more
Daragh's dream at Barrow House
Queen of the castle - meet Catherine FitzGerald of Glin Castle
THEN: In 2018, Irish Country Living shared the inspiring story of Daragh McDonagh, who swapped her life in London to move to Co Kerry to renovate and reopen the iconic Barrow House as a boutique B&B - after buying the property at auction, without having even seen it in real life.
NOW: While lockdown has hit the Irish hospitality industry hard, Daragh has made the most of the “time out” by completing two major projects at Barrow House, which had been on her to-do list for some time.
“This is the time that I never thought I’d get, so I addressed the overgrowth and the land management,” she says. “It was incredibly positive in a very negative space.”
Daragh explains that “the back field” behind Barrow House was always a rough piece of land, but it has now been landscaped as a beautiful garden, with a chicken coop and a path for guests to walk to the beach. She has also tackled the vines and ivy that were “strangling” the woodland at the house, and planted over 70 trees to create a shelter belt for Barrow Hill, while also encouraging biodiversity.
The slight disadvantage of not having what is our luxury cream on top, will you remember that? Will that be the impact on the holiday? Not at all
“Smaller plants are coming through,” she says enthusiastically. “I’m more excited about that than anything this year, because I’ve just seen how nature has bounced back after it’s been given a helping hand.”
Bookings wise, she says that her busy season is usually July to September, so she was not too badly affected by the travel restrictions in spring and early summer. When she opens her doors on 29 June, she’s hoping that Irish guests will balance the fall off in overseas travellers.
“I definitely see that our impact is going to be the overseas travellers and where there is a gap created by someone who can’t travel from America, it will be backfilled by an Irish person looking at a staycation, possibly for the first time,” she says.
Daragh is hoping that Irish people will consider a staycation at Barrow House this summer. \ Lynda Kenny
To this end, she has put on her thinking cap and come up with unique offers – for instance, she is hoping to attract the Irish golfing market by teaming up with her neighbours at Tralee Golf Club to offer two nights B&B with two rounds of golf for €460 per person sharing.
She is also hoping that a break at Barrow House will appeal to Irish people who have been cooped up in urban environments and badly want an escape.
“I’m finding that people who have come out of the city are desperate for a retreat and they really want to get away from it – they want space, they want privacy, they want exclusivity,” she says.
Of course, social distancing means that some things will have to change. One of the highlights of a stay at Barrow House in normal times is breakfast at the communal table with other guests, so this summer, visitors will have the option to have breakfast in bed or to sit in the dining room, which has been divided in two.
It’s unfortunate, because a lot of our draw is luxury and the aesthetic of the room
Guidelines also mean that a lot of luxury touches have to be removed from the bedrooms.
“It’s unfortunate, because a lot of our draw is luxury and the aesthetic of the room – the velvet feather filled cushions, the accessories, the binoculars, the telescopes – all these things have to be removed unfortunately and they’re the things that help to make a stay that little bit more special,” says Daragh.
One of the attractions of Barrow House are the beautiful views from the bedrooms. \ Lynda Kenny
However, she is confident that COVID-19 can’t take away the true essence of a break at Barrow House.
“I think what’s important is understanding that when people come to Barrow, they generally don’t stay in their room. The draw is the beaches, the sport, Fenit, the walking, the hiking, the touring, getting to Dingle, doing the Ring of Kerry. So from our point of view, the slight disadvantage of not having what is our luxury cream on top, will you remember that? Will that be the impact on the holiday? Not at all,” she says.
“What’s going to make the holiday is the beauty of the area, the space, the greenery, the looking out of your window and seeing the view. They’re the things that people comment on all the time. So really that’s not changed.”
For further information, visit www.barrowhouse.ie
Read more
Daragh's dream at Barrow House
Queen of the castle - meet Catherine FitzGerald of Glin Castle
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: