Manchán Magan opens up the world of travel every Tuesday on The Right Hook. You can listen live at 6.30pm, or listen back to the podcasts here.
Glamping = Glamorous + Camping. For disillusioned campers.
No more twisting and turning in a cramped sleeping bag. No more hard bumpy ground. No more trying to figure which tent pole goes where. No more pounding in pegs. You still wake up in the great outdoors, enjoy outdoor activities or just sit around an open fire. Don’t let your first camping experience be your last.
Wake up fresh in the morning after a good night sleep feeling fresh. The movement is inspired by the experiences of young people at outdoor events like open-air concerts; a way to avoid muddy fields and flooded tents. Kooky, cosy & slightly girly – more polkadots, fewer spiders.
Where to go glamping in Ireland?
- Galway
Heading west to Brooklodge Demesne and find Galway Glamping, south-east of Tuam, 27km from Galway city.
This 11-acre site is located in a special area of conservation along Abbert River. Yurts, bell tents or cabing in a courtyard in the grounds of Brooklodge. Yurts are Mongolian, portable and felt-covered wood lattice-framed dwellings traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.
- Westmeath
Boutique Camping in Castletown-Geoghegan has yurts and shepherd huts spread acrodd the 100 acres and 200,000 broadleaf trees, along with its own lake and boathouse.
It’s walking distance from the local shop and pubs, while a converted loft is the communal area; a wood burning stove, comfy couches and large banqueting table.
- Longford
Shawbrook has a wagon, cabin, and a boma in the forest, along with other types of accommodation in the converted farm buildings. At the end of May there’s the Forest Festival, as well as weekly dance performances in July. On the summer solstice, there’s African dancing at sunset, as well as drumming, along with rhythm dancing at the 5am dawn.
- Kerry
Grove Lane Glamping in Killarney has bell tents in a private meadow on the banks of the Flesk. With breathtaking views of Killarney’s mountains, the scenery is best taken in while roasting marshmallows over your very own fire pit. You’ll be sharing with horses, deer, pheasant, rabbits, heron, and otters.
But guaranteed a great night’s sleep on your pillow-topped mattress, with solid-fuel stoves and solar lighting. €100 in summer, the nearby spa at Randles Court Hotel offers preferential rates for 30 percent off the €100 zen days.
- Meath
The Rock Farm in Slane is a self-described boutique eco camp with seven yurts and shepherd huts on a 90-acre organic farm on the castle estate. Organic Dexter beef, free ranging Tamworth pigs and organic fruit/veg are available, along with the entertainment of engaging with rescue ponies and organic chickens.
The camp is situated overlooking turrets of Slane Castle, enclosed in a grove of parkland trees along the North bank of the River Boyne. Aged and wizened oak, ash, chestnut and hawthorn form natural enclosures around the yurts and shepherd’s huts. The site is a designated Natural Heritage Area and Special Area of Conservation, (herons, cormorants, egrets).
- Cork
Ballyvolane is a classical Georgian period home nestled on an estate of landscaped gardens and parkland in the Blackwater Valley. A wonderful spot for glamping families, with a tree house to play in, woods to explore, hens to feed, eggs to collect, donkeys to pet. The owner will even take kids on a tractor ride.
Fully-catered, fully serviced glamping experience; meals, drinks, afternoon tea are provided in the main house. Apple juice, a jar of homemade chocolate cookies, maps of the estate, torch, and head-lamps are available for anyone up for some adventuring.
You’ll nestle down for the night on Natural Mattress Co beds, stuffed with organic lamb’s wool, under a tea-light chandelier. There’s a turndown service, complete with hot-water bottles, and a full Irish thrown in for €150.
