Our first full day at Keenaghan Cottage started exactly the way you might expect an Irish morning to start.
Rainy and overcast.
And you know what? None of us really cared.
After almost two weeks of driving, sightseeing, climbing, walking, exploring and pretty much making our way around most of Ireland, none of us seemed very motivated to do much of anything. So we didn’t.
We had a nice breakfast, got a fire going in the fireplace and settled in for a lazy morning. Some watched a little TV. Some read. Some caught up on emails. And mostly, we just decompressed.
We’ve packed a LOT into this trip, and it felt pretty good to have nowhere we had to be and nothing we had to see.
Besides, when you’re staying in a cottage this cozy, a rainy day isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
By mid-afternoon, the rain was still coming down and Kelly and I decided we were perfectly happy staying in for another night.
Which meant we needed dinner.
Back to Belleek!
And since Belleek Pottery was right there…
Well, it would have been rude not to go in.
Right?
Belleek Pottery has been making its famous fine china here in the village since 1857, making it Ireland’s oldest working fine-china pottery. It began after local landowner John Caldwell Bloomfield discovered that the area contained the natural materials needed to make pottery.
More than 165 years later, Belleek is known around the world for its delicate, handcrafted pieces, many of which are still made using traditional methods passed down through generations.
So naturally, Kelly and I each had to buy a couple of little trinkets to take home with us.
A little piece of Ireland for home. ❤️
Of course, just as we were getting ready to leave…
DOWNPOUR.
But at this point?
It’s Ireland.
We’re going to get wet.
Off we went.
We made our grocery stop, picked up what we needed for dinner and headed straight back to our little cottage.
The boys were exactly where we’d left them.
Relaxing.
Fire still going.
Cottage still cozy.
Perfect.
We put out some appetizers, opened some wine and beer and settled in for another wonderfully lazy evening.
Later, we heated up a delicious shepherd’s pie we’d picked up at the local market, added some vegetables and garlic bread and called it dinner.
And it was fabulous.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing planned.
Just good food, good company and a fire going in an old Irish cottage while the rain came down outside.
I really can’t say enough good things about Keenaghan Cottage.
There’s a reason this place gets such incredible reviews.
Lisa and her family lovingly restored this traditional 1800s thatched cottage while somehow managing to keep all of its old Irish charm and still give it the comforts you’d want today.
And apparently we’re not the only ones impressed.
Keenaghan Cottage has been awarded five-star status by Tourism Northern Ireland and won Best Self-Catering Accommodation at Tourism NI’s Giant Spirit Awards.
It’s also described as the only five-star traditional Irish thatched cottage on the island of Ireland.
Pretty impressive for our little white cottage with the red door!
But awards aside, there’s something about this place that’s hard to describe
Maybe it’s the thick old walls.
The low doorways.
The thatched roof.
The big fireplace.
The lough just outside.
The cows and sheep in the surrounding fields.
Or maybe it’s simply the peace and quiet.
Whatever it is, the minute you walk through the door, you just want to slow down.
And after the pace we’ve kept for the last couple of weeks, that’s exactly what we needed.
Tomorrow morning, unfortunately, it’s time to pack everything back into the car again and say goodbye to our little fairytale cottage.
But I can tell you one thing…
I would absolutely come back here.
In fact, I think I could happily spend an entire week at Keenaghan Cottage.
Load up the kitchen with groceries.
Bring a stack of books.
Stock up on wine.
Keep the fire going.
What a wonderful place for a little respite from the rest of the world.
I think we all needed this day more than we realized.
Tomorrow we’re back on the road again, heading south to Athlone for one night before making our way to Dublin.
We’re definitely getting close to the end of this adventure.
But we’re not quite done yet!
See you down the road!
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