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Pól Ó Conghaile: The small Irish hideaway that could teach big hotels a lesson
Independent.ie
Did you hear the one about the woman who left Dáil Éireann for a life of foraging hen parties, wild herbal workshops and cosy shepherds' huts?
https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/pl-conghaile-the-small-irish-hideaway-that-could-teach-big-hotels-a-lesson-37933315.html
https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/article37943414.ece/4ff27/AUTOCROP/h342/blackstairs2.png
Did you hear the one about the woman who left Dáil Éireann for a life of foraging hen parties, wild herbal workshops and cosy shepherds' huts?
Driving to meet former TD Mary White at the eco-tourism business she now runs with husband Robert beneath the Blackstairs Mountains, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
Was this a worthy-but-woolly initiative I would applaud but have little interest in returning to? Or could it have the spark of something special?
"People are exhausted when they come here," Mary said, welcoming me to Blackstairs Eco Trails at the couple's home near Borris, Co Carlow.
"They are so stressed out. But they get a great night's sleep. We live in busy cities. We need to get away."
I could relate to that. So, it turns out, could Mary and Robert.
In a former life, she was a Green Party TD; he ran a busy book-selling business in Dublin. When Mary lost her seat in 2011, they began building an eco-tourism business around their home, an old rectory set beneath the Blackstairs.
They offer guided walks with afternoon tea (from €35). A barn dating from 1831 has been converted with eco-friendly insulation, organic paint and 'green cement' (which uses substantially less carbon). It hosts anything from yoga to lectures or cooking with hen parties, whose 'Foraging Hen' sessions (from €50pp) can include making garlic pesto, rose-petal ice-cream or nettle and cheese scones.
"It's better than throwing up in Temple Bar," Mary laughs.
I like that the eco-message isn't pushy. It just is. A Zappi electric car charger sits behind the barn. There's talk of going "off-grid" by using photovoltaic panels to harness solar Read More – Source
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