Castle View House

Solid and symmetrical, the old farmhouse has been completely renovated recently, with many of the original features lovingly preserved.

Rooms are voluminous, with lofty ceilings edged by moulded cornices.
Roller blinds on curtain-less windows emphasise the impressive doors, architraves and panelling that are original to the house.

The ornate fireplace in the living room is filled with a neat flush fitted stove – both practical and complimentary.
Exposed timber flooring and pastel painted walls are common to all the rooms.

The large contemporary kitchen has plenty of room for a beautiful six seater dining table – not unlike the one in the more formal dining room.

A Regency reeded leg mahogany table, brings a timeless indulgence to the dining room, warmed by the wood burning stove tucked into its recessed hearth.

An outstanding feature here is the enclosed cooker set in a cave-like archway of rough cut stone.

Not only are all the bedrooms comfortable and generous, but there is no getting away from those unique views of the blustery landscape which are a part of every room.

Chequered black and white retro-metro tiling defines the family bathroom.

Barely one tree dares to raise a shoot in such a Spartan landscape of crashing waves and crying birds. Garden has a different meaning here, where paths meander into the distance to follow the cliffs along this brink of Europe.

Kitchen Appliances

• Gas range with 2 ovens and 6 rings
• Full height Fridge
• Full height Freezer
• Dishwasher
• Toaster
• Nespresso coffee machine
• Blender
• Rice steamer

Utility Appliances

• Washing machine
• Spin-dryer
• Iron

Bedrooms

• Sizes – Two double beds, two single beds
• One 10ft Super-wide bed (4)
• Two single beds with two kids Trundle beds underneath
• 2 Hairdryers

Tech & Entertainment

• Wi-Fi Internet
• Sky sports, Spotify and Netflix
• DVD player
• Large retractable screen
• With integrated TV projector
• Flat-screen TV

Other

• Comprehensive Children’s outdoor play area
• Indoor Japanese Hot-tub with shower
• Good selection of books and games

• Under the Cliffs to the Aran Isles
• Reel to a tune in the Pub
• Smell like a flower
• Fly with a Hawk
• Conquer an island
• Tip toe to the edge of Ireland
• Stand under a stalactite

• Catch a wave at surf school
• Search for Gollum
• Lunch on lobster at Linnanes
• Birdie a ball at Lahinch
• Trek a pony through the Burren
• Chew some local chocolate
• What’s doing in Doolin
• Explore the Burren

The house is located below Doonagore Castle and just 5 minutes walk from the village of Doolin at the northern foothills of the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. The castle is now a completely restored private home, but it has a legacy of brutal treatment of Spanish Armada survivors in 1588.

Doolin is known as the capital of traditional music in Ireland, and most of the social activity in the villages four main pubs caters to this, with skilled musicians stopping for sessions as they pass through. County Clare is particularly home to the concertina.

This is also the nearest point to the Aran Islands and ferries depart from Doolin harbour regularly as well as sightseeing trips below the famous cliffs. Trips to the two smaller islands of Inisheer at 11km or Inishmaan are make for terrific days out, but to appreciate the cliff fortress of Dun Aengus, a stop-over on Inishmore makes sense.

The Cliffs are home to enormous numbers and a variety of nesting seabirds, including the only mainland colony of breeding Atlantic Puffins in Ireland, a species on the decline elsewhere in Europe.

JRR Tolkien was enlisted in 1949 as an external examiner for The University of Galway, regularly staying over at Ballyvaughan. Some say that it was this Burren landscape that was the inspiration for The Lord of the Rings writings.

Excavated in 1986, Poulnabrone Dolmen is probably the most photographed of some seventy Neolithic tombs across the Burren region. The bones of 18 adults together with 6 children were found, dating back to about 3,600 BC.

Lisdoonvarna, the next nearest main town, is home to one of Europe’s largest annual matchmaking events. Attracting over 40,000 romantic hopefuls, bachelor farmers and accompanying revellers. The current matchmaker is Willie Daly, a fourth-generation matchmaker.

Peaking at 213 metres high, and stretching south for nearly eight km, the dramatic Cliffs of Moher are probably the most visited tourist site in Ireland.Beneath the Cliffs, enormous waves born of distant Atlantic storms race towards the coast. Big wave surfers travel by jet-ski from Doolin to catch the wave known as Aileens at the bottom of the Cliffs, which can be over 35ft high. But for most surfers, the seaside town of Lahinch just 8km from the house, is the place to be. Here you will find a magnificent beach where in 2006 a world record for the number of surfers riding on one wave was achieved.

For the serious sea cliff rock climbers, Ailladie on the coast just north of Doolin is popular.

The strange karst landscape of the Burren area in northern Clare, consisting of limestone slabs divided by crevices (or grikes) is famous for its remarkable collection of animals and plants, including orchids and the European Pine Marten.

This is Ireland’s most important cave area, where only one river manages to reach the sea without being swallowed into a sink hole. More than 35 miles of cave passages have been surveyed and some can be explored for nearly seven miles.