Top awards for two of our hospitality gems
Two country guesthouses nestled amongst the stunning scenery of the Comeraghs and Knockmealdowns were recognised as the cream of the crop of Ireland's hospitality industry at an awards ceremony in Dublin.
Glasha Farmhouse Guesthouse on the Clonmel side of Ballymacarbry and the Old Convent Gourmet Hideaway near Clogheen were among the tourism businesses honoured at the 2010 Georgina Campbell Hospitality Awards at Bord Bia headquarters.
The awards, which are highly respected for their independence, are associated with food writer and critic Georgina Campbell’s Irish Hospitality Guide and the travel website www.ireland-guide.com.
Olive and Paddy O’Gorman, who have run Glasha Farmhouse Guesthouse for 14 years, were presented with the Irish Experience B&B 2010 Award, while another husband and wife team, Dermot and Christine Gannon received the Hideaway of the Year gong.
In this difficult for all sections of the hospitality industry, the recognition the awards provide is a welcome boost to morale and business for the winning businesses battling the nationwide slump in visitor numbers and consumer spending.
Georgina Campbell said excellence was always the object of their search but also look to a keen response and anticipation of the challenges presented by a particular year.
“No prizes for guessing what we have been looking for this season - a determination to keep standards up, which prices fall.”
But Ms Campbell warned consumers against putting unreasonable pressure on hospitality businesses in relation to prices.
“Many fine establishments have cut costs to the bone and their businesses are now literally handing by a thread,” she said.
“Prices have often been reduced to an unsustainable level and yet there is constant pressure from the public to make even further cuts.
“Lack of government action to reduce costs that are outside the control of businesses such as VAT and local charges such as rates means that fixed costs remain too high for further negotiation.
“We will no longer be able to enjoy the favourite places where we eat and stay if they can’t remain in business,” she warned. “consumers need to think twice before pressing for even better bargains.”
The citations Glasha Farmhouse Guesthouse and the Old Convent received from the Georgina Campbell Hospitality Awards judges will make their rivals green with envy.
Glasha is described as the “kind of place visitors dream of finding when they come to Ireland” and provides a “perfect relaxed rural break” for townies. Olive is praised for her “delicious home-cooked” dinners and breakfasts and the many activities for visitors in the area from hillwalking along the Munster Way to fishing in the Nire River, pony trekking and golfing are mentioned as well as the presence of the nearest pub just three minutes walk from the guesthouse.
The Old Convent is described as an “unusual, very comfortable, stylishly decorated country house with gorgeous rooms” located in a beautiful, unspoilt area. Dermot Gannon is praised as one of “Ireland’s most talented and modest chefs”, who “offers unique perfectly judged nine-course tasting menus using the best locally sourced ingredients”. The service is lauded as “charming” by the assessors while the breakfasts were found to be “exceptionally delicious and original”.
For Olive and Paddy O’Gorman, the Irish Experience B&B award is the latest in a long list of accolades their guesthouse has received for its food and hospitality. Other awards on their mantlepiece include Georgina Campbell’s 2007 Irish Farmhouse of the Year, the 2005 Les Routiers Irish Bed& Breakfast award, the Bord Failte National Irish Welcome Award and several awards from the British AA and RAC motoring associations. It was the first Irish farmhouse to receive the AA’s five star award.
Olive said they started the guesthouse business as a hobby back in 1995 as she always thought it was a lovely business to have in one’s home and she liked meeting people, having worked in a bank before getting married.
They have hosted guests from all over the world, many of whom have heard about the Glasha through the awards and reviews it has received in guides like Georgina Campbell’s and Bridgestone. In recent weeks, their visitors included Americans, British and Israeli tourists.
She credits the secret of their success to going that extra mile to look after guests and providing them with home baked and cooked meals made from good quality local ingredients from her garden, Clonmel butcher Tom Power and fishmonger John Wall.
“The personal touch is so important. We had people staying with us over the weekend, who were having a meal over in the Old Convent. My daughter brought them over to Clogheen and collected them free of charge. There is a lot of hidden extras that we give.”
The Hideaway of the Year title is the Old Convent’s first major award. Connemara native Dermot Gannon and his American wife ran Gannon’s restaurant over the Bell Pub in Cahir for three years before taking the plunge to open up their restaurant and guesthouse in the former Mercy Convent building.
“The opportunity came up and we decided we would go for it,” said Dermot. “It’s a beautiful premises in a beautiful place. It took us about five months to renovate the building, which was a healing centre for seven years and before that a convent up to 1991. Three of the sisters are still living beside us.
“We have gone from strength to strength since we got up and running and are absolutely delighted to receive this award. There are a lot of awards for this and that but Georgina Campbell is around the longest, is totally independent, very discerning and is very much held in high esteem The assessors came back to check us several times.”
The Gannons keep true to the Old Convent’s reputation as a hidden gem by keeping the promotion of their guesthouse low key and their operation small and intimate.
They have seven guest bedrooms and only take up to 40 people for their famed evening meals. Like the O’Gormans’ they take great pride in the quality of the ingredients they use in their restaurant and sourcing them from local shops and producers.
Dermot says they meet the challenges of the recession by trying to ensure their guests get more value for money and by putting more of themselves into the business.
“If the standards are good, you will see it out. Luckily we haven’t been too affected,” he said.
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