Daisy Cottage Donegal

DECLUTTERING

2012-01-24T11:49:00.044Z

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 items”. I had the

EATING OUT ~ NANCY'S, ARDARA

2012-01-17T16:08:00.034Z

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 Ardara, just beside the bridge

COFFEE ADDICTS

2011-10-10T11:50:00.003+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

EATING OUT ~ THE VILLAGE TAVERN, MOUNTCHARLES

2011-09-14T19:57:00.000+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 Enda

DIVING MISS DAISY

2011-09-14T12:12:00.000+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 itself a great

EATING OUT ~ MRS. B'S COFFEE HOUSE, KILLYBEGS

2011-09-12T17:17:00.000+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

THINGS TO DO ~ TROPICAL WORLD

2011-09-06T11:52:00.000+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,

TINY COOKS IN DAISY COTTAGE

2011-08-11T11:36:00.056+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 cake tins

THE MARITIME AND HERITAGE CENTRE, KILLYBEGS

2011-07-31T12:42:00.001+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

DAISY COTTAGE GUESTS

2011-07-24T16:11:00.000+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, something we

Donegal Good Food Taverns

2011-05-26T16:16:00.000+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.

EATING OUT ~ 22 MAIN STREET, KILLYBEGS

2011-05-26T09:44:00.001+01:00

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.

FISHING IN DONEGAL

2011-05-04T16:28:00.008+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 guaranteed you

A LITTLE OASIS AT DAISY COTTAGE

2011-05-02T13:53:00.003+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. (great outdoors under

PAINTING THE TOWN RED

2011-03-18T09:38:00.000Z

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 colour. The

GUESTS WITH LIMITED MOBILITY

2011-03-05T13:34:00.074Z

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

A PERFECT DAY

2011-02-14T15:21:00.049Z

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 night

NOT REVVED UP AND SOMEWHERE TO GO

2011-02-14T14:58:00.001Z

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 leaving the

DUNKINEELY TRADITIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

2011-02-14T14:22:00.001Z

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 McIntyre of Mac's Bar,

RELAXING IN DAISY COTTAGE

2011-01-27T11:51:00.044Z

Relaxing time is very important to us in Daisy Cottage. Yes, there are many places to visit in the area, beautiful sights to see, maybe a spot of golf or fishing to do, horse riding or days at one of the many sandy beaches. But sometimes during the course of a week or a fortnight or even in the evenings there will be times when our guests might just want to chill out around the house. One very

THE NEW SOFA

2011-01-27T10:38:00.000Z

The Red Sofa Our beautiful red sofa in Daisy Cottage sadly did not last as long as we would have expected and so at Christmas we had to say goodbye to it. When I chose the sofa (well, the 3 sofas actually) I chose it primarily because I loved the colour. Yes, it wasn't leather but I thought perhaps that was better. It wasn't. The covering was not as durable as leather is and one of the

EATING OUT ~ CASTLEMURRAY HOUSE

2010-11-15T16:25:00.048Z

We managed to get a night in Daisy Cottage at the weekend and at long last made it to Castle Murray House for a meal. We had been intending to go there for so long as it has been years since we last ate there but as we all know time just moves on and you forget or are too busy. Ruins of McSwynes Castle (in front of Castle Murray House) Dinner is a set 3 course meal with tea or coffee for €45

THREE DAYS IN INISHOWEN

2010-09-19T13:48:00.002+01:00

THREE DAYS IN INISHOWEN ~ PART 1 It was our 31st wedding anniversary last week so we decided to spend a few days way up on the north coast of Donegal. I did what I expect most people do when looking for accommodation and googled for a one bedroom cottage. I love old Irish cottages and really wanted a tiny thatched cottage and I was lucky enough to find 'Cloverfield Cottage' right up on the Isle

THE DONEGAL BAY WATERBUS

2010-09-08T18:30:00.000+01:00

Donegal Bay Waterbus Another thing we did whilst on our weekend in Daisy Cottage at the end of August was take a trip on the Donegal Bay Waterbus which takes passengers from the pier in Donegal Town on a trip out into Donegal Bay. We had been meaning to do this for a long time but had just never got around to it. But boy was it worth the wait! Along with fabulous scenery, dancing and singing

A TASTE OF DONEGAL FOOD FESTIVAL

2010-09-08T16:19:00.000+01:00

After being fully booked for the summer we finally got a break ourselves in Daisy Cottage on the last weekend of August before our first September guests arrived. And what a weekend ~ the sun shone and there was so much to do in the area including the Dunkineely Town Fesitval and in nearby Donegal Town the very successful 'Taste of Donegal' Food Festival. Stalls at the Taste of Donegal Food