Large family gatherings can be difficult to organise – and finding the perfect location can be the most challenging aspect of all. ALANNA GALLAGHERlooks at some of the best options around the country
AFTER THE FESTIVE get-togethers we often resolve to spend more time with friends and family. Connecting with your clan can reinforce all that is good in the world. It’s a great way for generations to learn from each other, understand what defines you as a family and hear stories about your ancestors while boning up on the family tree. It’s an important part of who you are.
Full attendance is what you’re looking for at such a gathering, so if you have a big event coming up, go for a property with broad appeal – a simple three-star rather than a fancy five-star. You want somewhere with cosy corners to chat while drinking tea – and that’s centrally located, so people can pop out for a quiet pint or some shopping. It needs to be atmospheric but not so extreme that it will alienate the elders or bore the youths into doing disappearing acts.
“Families want space for kids to run around and not face the wrath of fellow diners, where Uncle Joe can fall asleep in a comfy chair beside the fire, where you can stay behind two hours after the last waitress has gone home because you don’t want the evening to end,” says Peter Loughnane of the County Arms Hotel in Birr, Co Offaly, a family establishment that organises many get-togethers.
And the real deal breaker or maker is price. With hotels desperate to get bodies into their beds, they are offering tremendous value. Here are some of the best deals around the country. Just add family.
1Set on the Octagon, right in the centre of Westport, the Wyatt Hotel(1800-205270/ 098-25027, wyatthotel.com) has two nights' BB with one dinner for €109 per person sharing for groups of 20 or more. The hotel can accommodate about 100 people. There is an option of a three-course dinner for two, complete with a bottle of wine, for €50 in the hotel's brasserie, but Westport is also full of great restaurants and bars. For rainy days, complimentary access to the adjacent four-star leisure centre is invaluable. And the foot of Croagh Patrick is a five-minute taxi ride. Babysitting costs €10 per hour and needs to be booked in advance.
2Roscommon's Abbey Hotel(090-6626240, abbeyhotel.ie) is a charming manor house in private grounds. For groups of 25 or more the hotel is offering two nights' BB with two evening meals, plus music provided as entertainment on one of the two nights, for €149 per person sharing. The hotel has been recently renovated yet remains classically old-fashioned. It has a leisure centre with 20m pool, sauna, steam room, plunge pool, jacuzzi and gymnasium. The Abbey also has plenty of nooks and crannies to sit down, exchange gossip and enjoy one-on-one time with relatives in. Babysitting costs €10 per hour and needs to be booked in advance.
3 Killyhevlin Hotel Heath Club, in private grounds on the shores of Lough Erne (048-66323481, killyhevlin.com), is only a kilometre from the centre of Enniskillen, making it a great location for a family gathering. Two nights' BB with one four-course dinner costs from €140 per person sharing for groups of 25-49, €130 for groups of 50-74 and €120 for groups of 75 or more. It has 70 bedrooms and a new health club with gymnasium, pool and Elemis spa. There's golf, horse riding and cruising available locally – you could even take the family on the water for the afternoon.
4The Sheratonin Athlone (090-6451000, sheraton athlonehotel.com) is offering two nights' BB with dinner on both evenings from €189 per person sharing. The hotel, which has views across the River Shannon, has some connecting rooms. Children aged 12 and under sleep free. Rollaway beds and cots may cost extra. The fitness centre has a gym, hydrotherapy and swimming pools, steam room, sauna and Elemis spa. There's live entertainment in the Sheraton Bar every Friday and Saturday evening, while Athlone Town Shopping Centre is adjacent. Leisure World and Krazy Kids Fun Factory are nearby, convenient for when the children need to let off steam. Babysitting costs €10 per hour and needs to be booked in advance.
5 Fota Island Hotel(021-4883700, fotaisland.ie), in Co Cork, has two nights' BB and one dinner for €230 per person sharing for parties of 25-49. For groups of 50-74 the price drops to €210 per person sharing. For groups of 75 or more the deal costs €190 per person sharing. This five-star hotel has a playroom for under-fives, free games consoles for older children, a spa, cookery demonstrations for adults and children, pool, fitness suite, 27-hole golf course, golf academy, all-weather tennis courts and walking and jogging trails. There are free shuttles and discounted rates to Fota Wildlife Park and Fota House, both on the island. And Cork city is a short train ride away.
6 The Bush Hotel(071- 9671000, bushhotel.com) is in the historic town of Carrick-on-Shannon, in Co Leitrim. The 60-bedroom establishment has two nights' BB and one dinner for €119 per person sharing for groups of 25-49, €109 per person sharing for groups of 50-74 and €99 per person sharing for groups of 75 or more. The town is full of old-fashioned bars and live music, and it has a thriving organic market. Next to the hotel is an arts-and-crafts centre promoting local handicrafts. Bored teenagers should be delighted to hear that there are numerous all-weather activities, including bowling, cinema, leisure centre, paintballing, golf and museums.
7 Seven Oaks Hotel and Leisure Centre(059-9131308, sevenoakshotel.com), in Carlow town, is offering two nights' BB and one dinner for €109 per person sharing for groups of 25-49. The same weekend deal is €99 per person sharing for groups of 50-74 or €89 per person sharing for groups of 75 or more. The hotel is about five minutes' walk from the town centre. Its Greenbank Health and Leisure Club offers indoor activities for kids and the energetic. You can work out in the gym, relax in the pool, sauna or steam room, or pamper yourself in the jacuzzi.
8Families that prefer to host their get-togethers in Dublin might go for a hotel from the O'Callaghanportfolio (01-6073600, ocallaghanhotels.com): the Alexander, Stephen's Green and Davenport each have four stars; the Mont Clare has three. The bedrooms at the Alexander and Davenport were recently refurbished. Two nights' BB with one evening lounge meal costs from €130 per person sharing, subject to availability. Under-threes stay free. Babysitting costs from €10 per hour, also subject to availability.
9 The George Boutique Hotel(061-460400, thegeorgeboutiquehotel.com), in Limerick, is swish and central. Two nights' B&B and one dinner costs €99 per person sharing for groups of 25-49, €89 per person sharing for groups of 50-74 and €79 per person sharing for groups of 75 or more. Visits to the Hunt and Limerick City museums are nearby must-dos, as is a visit to the home of Munster rugby, Thomond Park. King John's Castle was the administrative and military centre of the Norman kingdom of Limerick. There are oodles of eateries, and plenty of good pubs to visit, too. Babysitting is available for €15 per hour.
10 The County Arms(057-9120791, county armshotel.com) in Birr, Co Offaly, is a family-run hotel with a two-night BB offer, including dinner on both evenings, for €149 per person sharing. Children cost €45 each. The family rooms have bunk beds and can accommodate up to three children. Kids get a County Arms rubber duck, and there are plenty of spare armbands for them to use in the pool. There's entertainment every Saturday night in the hotel's Bar 62, and musical entertainment will be provided free of charge for groups of 75 or more. Groups of this size will be offered a private draught bar if required. The hotel also upgrades the group VIP or organiser to a suite. Babysitting costs €10 per hour, booked in advance.
Also worth trying for groups: irishcountryhotels.com, lynch hotels.com, sinnotthotels.com and manorhousehotels.com
DIY option
If privacy and a contemporary setting are more your thing, and you don’t mind catering for yourself, then the Stables (086-2428053, luxury villaireland.com), outside Ballymahon, in Co Longford, might be the answer. Designed by Odos Architects, the main house, called the Gold House in honour of local writer Oliver Goldsmith, has three doubles, two en-suites and a room with four single beds – perfect for kids. The house sleeps about 10, but there are a couple of camp beds that can house extra overnighters. The adjacent Outhouse has four bedrooms, three doubles and a twin. The two properties can sleep up to 20 people and cost €1,400.