Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/201540
venison is delicately cooked and served in the library, which sometimes doubles as a dining room. Gracious proprietors Aisling and William O'Callaghan (he's the French-trained chef running the kitchen) encourage guests to stroll the gardens or wander down to where apples are crushed and fermented for cider (which is for sale in the foyer.) (left) Rebecca Harte welcomes guests to the Farmgate Café in County Cork; (below) the National Craft Gallery, housed in Kilkenny Castle's old stables and coach houses. The Longueville's majestic driveway becomes a pastoral memory as we navigate the lively streets of Galway to The Park House Hotel. A moderately sized property, it's a five-minute walk from Shop Street's pedestrian-friendly stretch of homegrown retailers. Our senses now spoiled by a night in the country, we slowly get back into city mode. It helps that the stately Hotel Meyrick serves afternoon tea. The clotted cream and trays of finger sandwiches are served just off the lobby, while a pianist rounds out the civilized vignette with classical selections on a baby grand. Change in Galway can be as swift as the currents of its River Corrib. Galwegians continue to buzz about their first-ever Michelin-starred restaurant, the wine-centric Aniar. Among the other fine-dining options is the waterside Ard Bia at Nimmos. "What we're doing is contemporary Irish and Middle Eastern," says founder Aoibheann McNamara. "We're moving beyond bacon and cabbage." Indeed, p32-35_Ireland.indd 35 menus might include cider-steamed Killary mussels or sweet-potato gnocchi. Our lamb stew is hearty, not heavy; the monkfish nearly lighter than air. Since it would seem almost unneighbourly to call it a night, we slip into one of the pubs a local gent heartily recommended: Tig Coili. Though it's packed, patrons amiably make way for new arrivals. In a corner, a guitarist and – what else – an accordion player manage to be heard over the pub's big laughs and boisterous greetings. The next day, as we make our way west from Galway to Connemara, the narrow road to the Ballynahinch Castle Hotel yields some surprise, such as field-hopping sheep, oblivious to traffic. Their pace is suggestive of how life moves in these parts. After roaming the footpaths of Ballynahinch's 182 hectares, where salmon body-slam the shiny surface of its lake, the great outdoors can be viewed through large windows in your guest room or the stately but relaxed dining room. Meals are expertly prepared and served; my tangy turbot with a feast of locally grown vegetables is a standout. Equal care goes into the wine list. For a moment, the cuisine, impeccably clad waiters and fashionable diners suggest, say, Paris or New York. But an after-dinner stop at the in-house pub quickly brings us back to Ireland. After all, a band is playing. And surely it won't be long before someone in the crowd requests "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." Let CAA Travel help you enjoy the glorious greens of the Emerald Isle with the Country Roads of Ireland tour. You'll visit Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Killarney and Kilkenny, plus enjoy several scenic drives such as along the Antrim Coast. See page 23 for details. W es t wo r ld >> w i n t e r 2 0 1 3 35 13-10-18 10:19 AM