Bell House
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Book This HomeCounty Carlow
The Bell House has been fashioned from the some of the beautifully restored, cut-granite buildings that encompass the courtyard of Lumcloone House. It’s original 19th century architecture informs a rambling, delightful and idiosyncratic home.
Just over an hour from Dublin and only half from Kilkenny, this idyllic home makes a romantic rural escape in Ireland’s Ancient East.
Casual and Curious
The entrance lobby forms a central link of the house.
The main living spaces span one side of an L shaped arrangement, with the informal dining room occupying the central elbow.
Here beneath a lofty pitched ceiling, an archway of French doors open from the gable-end onto a south-facing gravelled terrace; brilliant for al fresco meals.
AT A GLANCE
- Sleeps
Up to 4 guests
From €1,280 per week - Bedrooms
Two double bedrooms – 1 ensuite
1 with kitchenette & large balcony
Bathroom with shower - Other Rooms
Sitting room, Dining room
KItchen
Entrance Hall, Utility room - Features
Wood burning stove, large garden
Large furnished patio - Contempo
Flat screen TV, fast WiFi internet
Good Cell phone reception - Availability
High season Weekly only: Saturday to Saturday
Weekends: Friday to Monday
Midweek: Monday to Friday - Restrictions
Children over 12 are welcome - Small Dog Friendly – please ask
A chequer-board of stone tiles announce a well-appointed and stylish kitchen annexed onto the opposing end of the dining room.
Facilities & Ameneties
Kitchen Appliances
• Neff electric oven with 4 ring hob
• Tall fridge-freezer
• Dishwasher
• Toaster
• Nespresso coffee machine
Utility Appliances
• Washing machine
• Spin dryer
• Iron
Bedrooms
• Sizes – Two King-size convertible Zip & Link
• 2 Hairdryers
Tech & Entertainment
• Wi-Fi Internet throughout
• Flat-screen TV
• Pelaton spin exercise bike
Other
• Selection of books
• Boardgames
• Gas Central heating
• Charnwood Woodburning Stove
• Firepit & logs
• BBQ
Stepping down behind the kitchen, is a bright and spacious sitting room.
Delightful features of this room include the recessed Charnwood stove – seasoned wood supplied – and deep-set windows overlooking the beautiful cut granite courtyard of the main house.
Directly above, and accessed by a sensual sweep of cantilevered stairs, is one of two generous double bedrooms. It’s coved ceiling, and quirky little floor-level windows augment the romance.
This bedroom has a generous and chic ensuite bathroom, which boasts both a glass shower booth and bath.
The second beautiful double bedroom is also upstairs, but at the far end of the home, and includes a small study area on the landing as you enter.
The bed is a super King size Zip & Link (can be converted to twins).
A modest kitchenette has been included in the coving making the room semi-autonomous.
The headliner here though is that this bedroom accesses a large and private decked balcony, with views of the wonderful Carlow countryside across the walled garden.
The bedroom is served by a bathroom with dual-head shower off the corridor below.
Outside
The main house and associated buildings are listed and are part of an ongoing restoration project by the owners, with some restricted access.
The property consists of 12 acres with broad views of the Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains – Mount Leinster in the distance – which include an expansive walled garden, currently set as pasture for rescue goats.
Amateur ornithologists will appreciate the mesmerizing starling murmurations in early Spring, abundance of seasonal swallows, and the rookery. Binoculars supplied.
The Bell House is approached via its own treelined driveway that snakes through a small woodland, and has its own private driveway, parking, and a magnificent sheltered patio area with cushy furniture and a firepit.
Built in or around 1824 The Bell House originally accommodated the butler and housekeeper and subsequently housed the captain of a group of British Constabulary officers during the Irish Civil War.
Provisional Booking Form
2023 Holiday Breaks
| Easter weekend | Friday 7th April to Monday 10th April | € 1,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Halloween | Friday 27th October to Wednesday 1st November | € 1,800 |
| Christmas break | Saturday 23rd to Thursday 28th December | € 1,800 |
| New Year break | Saturday 30th to Tuesday 2nd January | € 1,800 |
Mid-week bookings run from Monday PM till Friday AM – 4 nights
Weekend breaks run from Friday PM till Monday AM – 3 nights
Important – A Week’s booking runs from Saturday to Saturday
A refundable breakages deposit of €250 is payable with the rental amount will be refunded within seven days of departure.
Rates Table
| Per week | Weekend | Mid-week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| October to May | €1,280 | €700 | €650 |
| June to September | €1,800 | €850 | €800 |
Select your Dates
AVAILABLE BOOKED
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 1, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | May 5, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 5 | May 6, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 6 | 7 |
May 8, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | May 12, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 12 | May 13, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 13 | 14 |
May 15, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | May 19, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 19 | May 20, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 20 | 21 |
May 22, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | May 26, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 26 | May 27, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 27 | 28 |
May 29, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 29 | 30 | 31 |
- Please note all booking requests are subject to 24 hour approval.
- Once your provisional booking has been placed, the UIH team will verify it, answer any specific queries you may have, and request a deposit to lock in your dates.
- Please note if your provisional booking is not confirmed and the deposit paid within 3 days it will expire.
- If your preferred dates are not available, click here to review alternate options.
- For additional information please contact us on +353 85 860 0027
Restrictions:
Smoking – No, sorry!
Parties – The owners regret Stag, Hen, Wedding or 21st parties are not admissible.
Children – The property is not suitable for toddlers or children under the age of 12.
Pets – small dogs only – please check with us.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 1, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | May 5, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 5 | May 6, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 6 | 7 |
May 8, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | May 12, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 12 | May 13, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 13 | 14 |
May 15, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | May 19, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 19 | May 20, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 20 | 21 |
May 22, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | May 26, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 26 | May 27, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 27 | 28 |
May 29, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 29 | 30 | 31 |
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | June 2, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 2 | June 3, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 3 | 4 | |||
June 5, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | June 9, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 9 | June 10, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 10 | 11 |
June 12, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | June 16, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 16 | June 17, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 17 | 18 |
June 19, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | June 23, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 23 | June 24, 2023Week - Sat to Sat 24 | 25 |
June 26, 2023Midweek - Mon to Friday 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | June 30, 2023Weekend - Friday to Monday 30 |
Reviews
5 stars from start to finish…
We stayed 4 nights over Christmas 2022 and it was magical. On the sunny days, of which there weren’t many, we explored the surrounding walks, gardens and visited places like Kilkenny, Thomastown and Borris.
But what we loved most was snuggling in on the rainy days with the fire lit, reading books, watching movies and cooking.
The house has everything you need for the perfect getaway and Christobel the host was wonderful, checking in to see if we had enough firewood and that we were enjoying our stay. We can’t recommend this home enough.
Thanks UIH!
Megan and Steve Whiteley – 2022
Bell house was beautiful,
gorgeous quiet location and peaceful setting. The house is very comfortable and well equipped. The hosts Christabel and Stewart are very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. I would have no hesitation in visiting it again or recommending it to anyone looking for a nice countryside break.
Patricia – February 2023
Out & About
Try one of the numerous local Festivals:
- Carlow Arts Festival in June
- Borris Festival of Writing & Ideas in June
- Kilkenomics in November
- Savour Kilkenny in October
- Kilkenny Arts Festival in August
Meandering rivers, rolling hills and medieval discoveries are the backdrop to this fascinating County with so much to do we just can’t list everything, so here are a few of our favourites:
- Take a river cruise
- Try your hand at woodturning
- Take the Mount Leinster Heritage Drive
- Kayake along the Barrow
- Visit Huntingdon’sTemple of Isis
- Garden lovers check out Altamont
- Play a round at Mount Juliet
- Dine out at Sharoe
- Sink a hole in one at Mount Wolseley
- Fish up some trout at Rathcon
- Go racing at the Curragh
- Back a horse at Gowran
- Pick a winner at Punchestown
- Enjoy some Carlow culture
- Go paddling on the Barrow
- Browse quirky in the Old Yard
- Go golfing in Bunclody
- Stock up at Tinahely Farm Shop
The Locality
The house is just a couple of minutes from the pretty village of Fenagh, with its garage, grocery shop, off licence, two very friendly pubs and a post office; but you will need to go the 20 minutes by car to Carlow town for a broader spectrum of goods.
Fenagh is on the 75 km Mount Leinster Heritage Drive which passes through the beautiful countryside of south Carlow. Notable features in the landscape Mount Leinster – it’s highest peak at 796 metres.
Mount Leinster photo by Kevin Higgins
Carlow town was the country’s capital in the 1300’s but it’s probably best known as home of the nation’s 4th most popular Institute of Technology.
Just east of Carlow Town, Browne’s Hill Dolmen is regarded by many as one of the foremost prehistoric monuments in Ireland. Its burial chamber roof is certainly one of the heaviest in Europe at about 100 tons.
Carlow Castle is a popular 13th century attraction. An attempt by a doctor in the 1800’s to convert the stone castle into an insane asylum destroyed most of the castle, however the two remaining towers demonstrate what an impressive construction it had been.
You may also be interested in a visit to the romantic ruin of Duckett’s Grove
Visual Arts Carlow is a stunning building in the heart of Carlow Town and home of Visual Centre for contemporary art, Ireland’s largest and most spectacular space for contemporary art.
George Bernard Shaw Theatre – part of the Visual Arts complex, a 320-seat theatre with a packed programme of drama, film, dance, music and comedy.
O’haras is the local beer; brewed in Bagenalstown, well worth a try.
As mentioned elsewhere, the region is spoiled for fine golf courses, and If you enjoy a spot of leisurely fly fishing, Rathcon Lake is well stocked with top quality rainbow trout. The lake is designed so that 90% of the water is coverable from the bank. Rods and tackle are available for hire.
The River Barrow which flows through Carlow town, is the second-longest river in Ireland providing an inland link between the port of Waterford and the Grand Canal, which in turn connects Dublin to the River Shannon.
A walking trail known as The Barrow Way which follows the original towpath of the river for 114 kilometres, and would take approximately 4 days to cover on foot, though cycling is permitted. It is one of Ireland’s most scenic long-distance trails but remains largely undiscovered.
The vibrant medieval city of Kilkenny is a short drive, with its fine cathedral, and thirteenth-century Castle, which was principal residence of the Butler family for over 600 years, and well-known design and craft heritage. The city is renowned as an arts and crafts centre and is well served by restaurants and festivals.
Kilkenny Cathedral
How to get there – Car advised..
By Air: Flights to Dublin, Cork or Shannon airports.
Dublin Airport – about an hour and 15 mins from the house.
Cork Airport – approx 2 and a half hours from the house.
Shannon Airport – approx 2 15 mins hours from the house.
By Sea: Ferry crossings
Dublin City Port/Holyhead has a fast crossing and is about an hour and 15 mins from the house.
Rosslare Harbour for Ferries to South Wales is also about an hour and 15 mins away.
Map
Off the N80 Carlow/Wexford road and 10 minutes’ drive from the M9
Bagenalstown train station is 15 minutes away and trains take 1 hour to Dublin.
Gallery
