Honeymoons to Holidays

A Hint of Housekeeping on the Auld Sod
By Betsa Marsh
Special to The Irish American Post

With a finger of Bushmill's in a tumbler, I step back to admire my handiwork. No Girl Scout I, yet I have somehow managed to coax the little bricks of turf into flame for my first peat fire. It's smoldering away in an open hearth burnt ebony from generations of soot, and with each whiff of peppery smoke, I feel more and more like a true homesteader on the Old Sod.

However briefly, I am setting up house in one of Northern Ireland's genuine country cottages, bringing fresh life to a little stone building that has not echoed to voices for 30 years. I'm moving back into Ulster history with each step across the pine floor and up the ladder to the loft, its rafters still rough with bark. As I light a candle on the wooden trestle table, I realize I'm fulfilling a small part of the original vision for saving these endearing, ramshackle buildings.

"I thought of a place where people can get away from it all, and I had the idea for them to come here and use turf fires and candles, to live like they did in the old days," said Lord Rathcavan, a former chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board who now serves as chairman of the Taste of Ulster.

"It would be like an American dude ranch in that way. I sometimes stay here with my son Francois, and he loves it. We use peat and candles, but people don't have the patience for that now, so we had to put in central heating and lighting," he offered.

Lord Rathcavan foresaw Rural Cottage Holidays Ltd. as a hybrid between the self-catering gites of France, especially in the farming communities of Normandy, and Britain's Landmark Trust, an operation of the National Trust "that uses great architectural gems in Great Britain," Lord Rathcavan said.
"We have a great inventory in Northern Ireland, with old farmhouses often falling into disrepair. Historically, this area had tiny farms, about 10 to 15 acres each. Now, you need more than 100 acres, and a lot of the farmsteads are abandoned. And there is a great need for alternative money in the farming communities."

To create a model for his plan, Lord Rathcavan turned to his own 1,000-acre estate on the River Cleggan near Carnlough, about 35 miles northeast of Belfast. He bought this 1800 fieldstone cottage, the old Mann farmstead, as a prototype, and in 1992 repaired its small, low windows and slate roof. He brought in simple pine furniture, homespun plaid curtains, basic kitchen gear and stoneware to fill the plate rack on the wall. Now, up to 10 people can sleep in the old cottage, with its plain pine beds, and the old cow barn that now serves as an extra loft.

But the view, over the dry-stone wall, needed no improving: a roll of grass and tree out to Mount Slemish, where an enslaved St. Patrick once herded swine.

With his own cottage transformed, Lord Rathcavan took the idea to the International Fund for Ireland, a combination of American and European Union money, gathering funds and converts to the concept. Rural Cottages Holidays would lease each cottage for 21 years and pay to restore it, he suggested, and the farmer would help with maintenance and housekeeping.

The new non-profit company undertook 11 restorations of its own, and began renting the buildings, from two-person honeymoon getaways to full family holiday homes. Today, Rural Cottage Holidays acts as the booking agent for about 200 cottage properties in Northern Ireland, many of them cross-community projects between Catholics and Protestants.
"It was a very successful pilot project, with 80 to 90 percent of the funding coming from the International Fund for Ireland and other European funds," said Deirdre Fox, manager of Rural Cottage Holidays. "We now even have properties on the Belle Isle Estate, which is owned by the Duke of Abercorn, the Queen's cousin."

The Duke's Belle Isle Estates in Lisbellow, which have been inhabited since the 12th century, are spread over 470 acres on eight islands at the northern end of Upper Lough Erne. Its rehabbed cottages and apartments now shelter dozens of travelers each night. The stone-and-slate Courtyard, built in 1860 as farm buildings and estate offices, has been renovated into eight apartments, sleeping two to eight each. The two-story Coach House from 1856 is now two apartments, and the charming Walled Garden Cottage, built into the garden brickwork more than a century ago, now sleeps six. 
Guests are welcome to explore the estate's working sheep farm, or try their hands at tennis, boating or fishing. And the nearest pub, it's important to note, is just a mile away.

"We also have Ballywalter Gate Lodge, owned by Lord Dunleith, and Killyreagh Gatelodge in Fermanagh, which is owned by Lord and Lady Hamilton," said Fox.

Lord Dunleith's guests at Ballywalter are welcome to roam the estate and pick their own fruit and vegetables in season, or wander the 300 feet to the beach or all-weather tennis court. The 1850 gatehouse, marked by a distinctive triple-arch portico, was designed by architect Sir Charles Lanyon. The listed historic building now accommodates four.
Lord and Lady Hamilton's Killyreagh Gatelodge, a cheerful, white-trimmed cottage in Tamlaght, combines a private garden, hiking, fishing and tennis with room for seven. 

Most of the properties, however, reflect more hardscrabble labor than noble links--many of them were built as bare shelter for subsistence farmers and their families. Some of their descendants still hold the land and the renovated cottages, and help travelers with outdoor activities in addition to their own maintenance and housekeeping duties. Many of the cottages are tantalizingly close to time-tested fishing spots, birding blinds and hiking trails. Occasionally, the farmers have time to act as personal gillies and stalkers.
After a good rest in my little cottage, I have every intention of hiking the four-plus miles to the North Sea, so close I can smell it on the morning air. Or then again, I may just practice my peat fire skills and reward myself with another cup of coffee from my toy cottage kitchen. 
 
 

If You Go "Cottages in Northern Ireland" brochure is available from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, (212) 922-0101. In addition, the group's properties are constantly being updated on its web page, www.cottagesinireland.com. Rural Cottage Holidays Ltd. has a central booking desk at St. Anne's Court, 59 North St., Belfast, BTI INB, phone 028 9024 1100 or fax 028 9024 1198.