tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877149241538201502026-07-28T00:46:03.219+01:00My blog about the renovation of our holiday home in south Donegal but with diversions into thoughts, ideas, trips around Donegal, and whatever fancy takes me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-64731937789810241032013-12-23T20:24:00.005+00:002013-12-23T20:24:49.341+00:00

So we had decided to have a couple of nights in Daisy Cottage before Christmas and set off after lunch yesterday.  Driving along we were chatting about what we would do once in Dunkineely: have a couple of meals out at any of the great restaurants we love there, maybe have a nightcap (or three!) in Mac's Bar beside Daisy Cottage and of course get out and about with our cameras. Snowy

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-20715700370133039822012-08-08T13:18:00.000+01:002012-08-08T13:24:32.352+01:00

This post is to gather together for the reader all the information about Daisy Cottage ~ inside and out. Daisy Cottage Donegal We have made every effort to make Daisy Cottage one of the best equipped and most comfortable holiday homes available and we place particular importance on making Daisy Cottage as child friendly as possible too.  Daisy Cottage is in the centre of a small Donegal

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-14838652402312797342012-07-17T12:07:00.001+01:002012-07-17T12:07:53.468+01:00

A new activity for guests has been added this year ~ gold panning! It's great fun and something all the family can join in with and we even supply two gold panning dishes in Daisy Cottage.  (Extra ones can be bought in the village if wanted). Here's a link to our day out gold panning: GOLD PANNING IN DONEGAL

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-36324991851273478512012-06-18T17:21:00.001+01:002012-06-19T17:22:52.558+01:00

I am often asked if there are beaches near Daisy Cottage and the answer is yes, there are quite a few! They are all beautiful sandy beaches, some small, some very large, many not generally known about by a lot of people from outside the area, and some are Blue Flag Beaches ("Beaches are awarded the Blue Flag based on compliance with 32 criteria covering the following: 1) Environmental

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-33036216351505574002012-02-22T11:00:00.001+00:002012-02-22T11:15:15.306+00:00

Daisy Cottage, being a family home, is a place where children are always welcome.  We strive to make it is easy as possible for parents to holiday in Daisy Cottage with their children from babies up.   Children are always welcome in Daisy Cottage We know from our own experience all the paraphernalia that must be taken when going anywhere with babies and toddlers.&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-9821575806560326992012-02-08T14:27:00.002+00:002012-02-08T14:47:05.863+00:00

In the village of Dunkineely and only a two minute walk from Daisy Cottage is probably one of the busiest little diner/take-aways in Donegal.  The ever popular Baskins Cafe is a family run business which has been feeding the people of the area together with many of the visitors, for many years now. Baskins Cafe, Dunkineely The only day Baskins Cafe is quiet is a Sunday,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-60115593206605565402012-01-24T11:49:00.044+00:002012-01-24T13:46:34.515+00:00

Way back in the beginning when we were doing our renovations, we divided one of the downstairs rooms in Daisy Cottage into two rooms: one becoming the en suite wet room for the downstairs bedroom, the other becoming a walk in cupboard for the immersion tank and to store towels, cleaning products, spare dishes and glasses and all the other paraphernalia that are not “display

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-41777535080105930722012-01-17T16:08:00.034+00:002012-01-17T16:45:16.246+00:00

On Sunday (15th January 2012) we decided to pay a visit to Nancy's of Ardara, mainly because I had this urge to eat some of their super oysters.  We have eaten in Nancy's a couple of times and have always enjoyed it, so returning was very much looked forward to.  Nancy's Bar on the banks of the River Owentocker, Ardara  Nancy's is a very old bar in the centre of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-76013389801024185462011-10-10T11:50:00.003+01:002011-10-10T11:50:26.867+01:00

We love our coffee and are coffee addicts you could say.  Coffee machine in Daisy Cottage  Cafetier  Our love of coffee meant that from the begining in Daisy Cottage we have always had a coffee machine and a cafetier so that our guests who love their coffee could also enjoy their morning or after dinner coffee. Just recently I went shopping again for Daisy Cottage and amongst

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Dunkineely, Co. Donegal, Ireland54.6319806 -8.360518654.6227896 -8.3802596 54.6411716 -8.3407776000000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-16567647875959483442011-09-14T19:57:00.000+01:002011-09-14T19:57:08.810+01:00

This is another of our favourite restaurants in the area and the chef there makes THE best lamb shanks in the whole of Ireland. The Village Tavern, Mountcharles Situated in the middle of the pretty village of Mountcharles, The Village Tavern is popular with locals and visitors alike and it is not hard to see why once you have eaten there once.  We go there regularly as the chef/owner

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0The Village Tavern, Main Street, Mountcharles, Co. Donegal, Ireland54.6467748 -8.197952554.628399800000004 -8.2374344999999991 54.6651498 -8.1584705tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-36976365583444502172011-09-14T12:12:00.000+01:002011-10-10T11:58:53.197+01:00

Excuse the heading ~ I couldn't resist it! So, what is it about? Well, last weekend, speaking with a diving expert in the village, we got chatting about diving.  He was telling us that when he was a child Dunkineely would be packed to the gills with divers.  The location is perfect with the clearest diving waters in Europe at St. John's Point behind the village and the village

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Main St, Dunkineely, Co. Donegal, Ireland54.6319806 -8.360518654.613598599999996 -8.4000006 54.6503626 -8.3210366000000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-2489607322180368832011-09-12T17:17:00.000+01:002011-09-12T17:18:03.490+01:00

At last I am getting around to doing a write up about this wonderful cafe in the nearby village of Killybegs.  We happened upon it a few months back and have returned time and again since because of the fantastic seafood chowder, great foods, great coffee, friendly service and the cleanliness of the place. Mrs. B's, Killybegs So on a wet afternoon last Saturday we left Daisy Cottage

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1 Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Ireland54.6365443 -8.445193654.599784799999995 -8.5241575999999988 54.6733038 -8.3662296tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-19059959675856225022011-09-06T11:52:00.000+01:002011-09-06T11:52:26.443+01:00

Just under one hour's drive from Daisy Cottage is one of Donegal's newest attractions, Tropical World in Letterkenny. On Sunday we took 2 of our little grandsons (aged 8 and 4) to it and a great afternoon out was had by all. Just some of the beautiful butterflies at Tropical World Here is a link to the blogpost I did on the visit where we saw butterflies flying freely, lizards, exotic birds,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-3809631020959365172011-08-11T11:36:00.056+01:002011-08-11T13:13:30.638+01:00

Today I received an order of some cute little kitchen items for our very young guests.  Most of us know children love a spot of getting messy in the kitchen and with this in mind I searched out and found some fabulous little kitchen utensils especially made for tiny cooks. Tiny whisks and cake tins in Daisy Cottage So what did I buy?  Well, a couple of tiny whisks, some tiny

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-71192020107078754682011-07-31T12:42:00.001+01:002011-07-31T12:43:53.655+01:00

The Martime and Heritage Centre is based in what was the world famous Killybegs Hand-Knotted Carpet Factory. In it’s time the factory, which was established in 1898, supplied carpets to some of the most famous buildings in the world including amongst many more The White House (home to the President of the USA), Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle (homes of Queen Elizabeth II UK), 10 Downing

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-31733740101806604772011-07-24T16:11:00.000+01:002011-07-24T16:11:53.203+01:00

I know I have said it before but it warrants another say: we get THE best guests! Last Saturday I arrived down in Daisy Cottage for our weekly change-over day, the day guests finishing their week leave and arriving guests arrive.  It's a pretty hard and intensive few hours work getting the house ready for the new arrivals.  Of course all our guests leave the house clean and tidy,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-87545605557994864872011-05-26T16:16:00.000+01:002011-05-26T16:16:23.254+01:00

A recent initiative here in Donegal brings together a group of tavern owners who also serve food with the emphasis being on locally sourced foods and traditional Irish music and culture. We are at the first launch recently and you can read all about the launch and the initiative HERE.

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22 MAIN STREET, KILLYBEGS ~ 25th MAY 2011 22 Main Street, Killybegs We stayed down in Daisy Cottage last night and decided to go and try the new menu in the re-vamped 22 Main Street Seafood Bar in Killybegs.  The place enjoys a great location in the fishing port of Killybegs (8 km/5 miles from Daisy Cottage) with frontage onto the street and the rear overlooking the harbour and boats. 

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-8579568617193349972011-05-04T16:28:00.008+01:002011-05-04T18:43:46.780+01:00

For those who enjoy a spot of fishing Donegal is one of the best places in Ireland given the abundance of lakes, rivers and hundreds of miles of coastline to fish from.  In the area around Daisy Cottage there are many places to fish and best of all if you want to do shore fishing, it's totally free.  You could wander along the shore of St. John's Point nearby where it is almost

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Dunkineely, Co. Donegal, Ireland54.6319806 -8.360518599999977654.6276566 -8.3736205999999775 54.636304599999995 -8.3474165999999776tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-12633868049838536622011-05-02T13:53:00.003+01:002011-05-02T14:04:48.653+01:00

Outside the back door of Daisy Cottage and in front of the ramped access to the house there is a little plot of ground which I have thought for a while would make a perfect little seating area for one or two of our guests to enjoy the morning sun, perhaps browsing the newspapers from the village store or maybe catching up on a novel.  Yes, we do of course have the G.O.U.C. (

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-6592065356850765262011-03-18T09:38:00.000+00:002011-03-18T09:38:55.274+00:00

Well, okay, not the town just the kitchen/dinner of Daisy Cottage. I have long wanted to paint the kitchen/diner in Daisy Cottage some bright colour.  The height of the ceiling and size of the room allows the use of a strong colour which in a small room might swamp it.  But I believe that it is best to get used to the light fall in rooms in a house is necessary before deciding on a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-78900384570408699162011-03-05T13:34:00.074+00:002011-03-12T18:40:48.686+00:00

In Daisy Cottage, we are aware that there are many people with varying degrees of mobility problems and since the beginning of our rental business of the house we have tried to accommodate guests with limited mobility.  The ramped entrance at the back of Daisy Cottage The front entrance to the house is not a problem as it is at ground level and a very short distance of a couple of feet from

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-32088035868537794242011-02-14T15:21:00.049+00:002011-02-14T20:54:17.791+00:00

One of the things I love most about being in Daisy Cottage is its proximity to the sea and of course all the seafood easily available. Saturday was one of those days when we took time to get out and about and enjoy these benefits of the area. Freshly caught fish in Killybegs In nearby Killybegs we went to the little fish van on the pier to buy some fish which had been freshly caught the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-90355965569963231122011-02-14T14:58:00.001+00:002011-02-14T14:59:16.476+00:00

The dull whir and no kick told us what we really didn't want to know.  The battery was flat. Saturday morning saw us up nice and early in Daisy Cottage to head out to the local hardware store to purchase some bits and pieces for Daisy Cottage.  More of which anon. Out into the sunny morning and into the car.  The car with a flat battery caused by someone the previous evening

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787714924153820150.post-88164575554101500772011-02-14T14:22:00.001+00:002011-02-14T14:24:02.319+00:00

Next weekend (the 18th, 19th and 20th of February 2011) sees the first Dunkineely Traditional Music Festival.  Events kick off on Friday night the 18th of February and run right through to Sunday night.  Aidan O'Donnell The event is being organised by the Senior All Ireland Fiddle Playing Chamption, Aidan O'Donnell together with Pat McIntyre of McIntyres bar and Damien

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0