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Céad Míle Fáilte in Cavan
By Malcolm Rogers
Malcolm Rogers travels to the least famous part of Ulster — the tranquil county of Cavan.
My indispensable Official Guide to Ulster (1934, William Strain & Co., Belfast) has little to say on the subject of Cavan. It merely points out that since the Government of Ireland Act 1920, Cavan has been part of the “South”, and implies that visitors would be better concentrating their energies on the “particularly bracing Antrim coastline.” And therein lies one of the beauties of Cavan — it has never been a much-trodden land, and even today the visitor will pretty much have the run of the place from Ballyjamesduff to Crossdoney without being upset by hordes of people.
Cavan is a low lying sort of place — come to think of it the word comes from An Cabhán, the Hollow — so loughs, rivers, streams, turloughs and bogland surround you on all sides. Today you can sail by barge or cruiser along the Ballinamore-Ballymaconnell canal, finally linking up with the Shannon. Belturbet is your best bet if you’re interested in watery things — either fishing, boating, cruising or merely dandering along the water’s edge. This is where the Ulster Canal originally started. Great walks along the banks provide a historical window back on the start of the of the industrialisation of Ireland — the first stab at rearing a Celtic Tiger.
Seeing as you’re in Cavan, you might as well spoil yourself absolutely rotten and stay in the Slieve Russell hotel, just outside the town of Ballyconnell. This is top drawer lodgings, with four stars to prove it. An extraordinarily relaxed atmosphere surrounds the place, helped along by classy surroundings, and of course golf and country club attached.
The 300 acres of the country club include two golf courses, 50 acres of lakes, and an enchanting walk through ancient Irish woodland — ash, alder, plus a sally garden sweeping down to the lough. It’s a mini-lake district all on its own — but inside the hotel complex are all the other things you’d expect from top of the range digs: swimming pool, saunas, steamroom, jacuzzi, fitness suite, tennis, squash, snooker, pool, spa treatment rooms, pamper rooms etc.
Visitors have long come to this part of Ireland for the fishing; now they fetch up here for two relatively new sports to the area — rambling through the gently wooded countryside, and golf.
For golfers the Slieve Russell Hotel offers a choice between the 18 hole championship course and the nine hole par 3 course. And for the real addicts there’s floodlit driving range and practice ground.
Now I’m not really a great golfer — I’d go along with the guy who said it’s called ‘golf’ because all the other four letter words have been taken. So to work up something of an appetite for dinner, I thought I might do some clay pigeon shooting, available in the area along with a host of other activities. I’ve never clay pigeon shot before, but as it was being advertised on the Quinn Estate (tel 00 353 28 66 388373), some five minutes from the Slieve Russell I thought I might give it a go. When I phoned Ron he was very apologetic, but told me unless I could get together another nine people, all he could offer me was some expert tuition in archery. As our party was only two in total, and neither of us fancied bows and arrows, we thanked the very helpful (and somewhat disappointed) Ron, and instead headed for the swimming pool at the Slieve Russell. Regrettably we only made it as far as the Kells Bar, where it was cocktails and nibbles instead of backstroke and the old Australian crawl.
Now just to digress for a moment — history abounds in this part of Cavan. Numerous Neolithic stones bear evidence that Cavan Man has been around for at least 6,000 years. A bit more recently, tradition has it that one of the most renowned of the Red Branch Knights in the 1st century AD was slain here by the men of Connacht for some alleged slight (trouble-making Culchies as usual). A cave under a cairn on nearby Ballyheady Mountain is reputed to be the burial place of the Knight, Conaill Cearnach. Which brings us neatly back to dinner. The Slieve Russell boasts three restaurants, the top range one being the Conaill Cearnach restaurant — legend and lunch in one go. Not too pricey (set meals from e44) — the food is suitably elaborate (and delicious). The style would be described as ‘modern, contemporary’ — in other words, if you like your vegetables cooked to a pulp, you won’t find much to your liking here.
Just to give you an idea of how we journalists live, for starters I had the most delicious Atlantic scallops it has ever been my pleasure to scoff. (It was only fair the Atlantic has something to offer, as most of the ocean seems to drop on Cavan during the year). The scallops traded under the name “Seared Atlantic scallops with lemon and chive Béarnaise sauce” but whatever their name, they were cooked to superb melting tenderness, the sauce being mopped up with tomato and olive wheaten bread.
For main course I had roast rack of border lamb (religion unspecified) served with Asian spiced puy lentils, fondant potatoes and rosemary jus. (“Jus”, by the way, is just the posh word for gravy). My friend had candied yam and red onion rosti, crowned with toasted goat’s cheese spinach leaves and piquant tomato relish. Far from where we were reared, to be sure, but the dishes were perfection.
It’s probably best to draw a veil over the desserts, the petit fours, the cheese board, the Hennessys — and just add that there is no canned music in the restaurant! Absolute bliss. What they do have is a very fine piano player, name of Terese McCartan, who plays everything from “The Green Glens of Antrim” to “The Valley of Knockanure”.
The next morning (not too early) I met up with general manager of the Slieve Russell, Tony Walker. A genial Northerner, Tony explained the ethos of the hotel. “It’s a place where the whole family can come — there really is something for everyone. Even if it rains — which does happen from time to time here — there’s plenty to do.”
Hmmm, yes, he’s right there, I thought to myself as I peered out the window at the drizzle which was sweeping in from the Lough.
“We have a full fitness centre — completely modernised this year, a swimming pool and spa facilities - with seventeen separate treatment rooms.”
I idly wondered if they had a treatment room for having too many Hennessys the night before, but I let it pass.
Tony also stressed how family-orientated the hotel is. “We’ve got baby-sitting facilities, children’s clubs, games rooms — we are very keen that there’s something for all the family.”
Mind you, should you by some chance want a change from the swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi etc, there are some terrific day trips in the area. The Marble Arch cave system is one of Europe’s finest, threaded with subterranean rivers - a mesmerising world of underground rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers.
Florence Court, half a dozen miles or so from the Marble Arch Caves, is not only a fine place for a dander to admire the magnificent Georgian residence and surrounding forest — the demesne also has a place in horticultural history. It is here that the “Mother of all yew trees” was first propagated. The Florence Court yew, sometimes called simply the Irish yew, is popular throughout the world, adorning gardens, graveyards and parks. The original tree, grown from a seedling circa 1750, can be found lurking unassumingly near the main house.
Florence Court is one of the glories of the Irish countryside, yet like so many Irish tourist attractions, particularly in the north or middle of the country, you could go for a long day’s march here and be lucky to meet more than a dozen souls. Solitude and tranquillity guaranteed.
This part of ancient Ulster is a quiet place, a gentle place. The weather won’t batter you to the ground with an unexpected Atlantic storm — on the other hand you’re unlikely to need your sunblock. But if you want a restful, truly Irish holiday, in luxury surroundings and someone to look after the kids, the Slieve Russell should be high up on your list for possible destinations.
Slieve Russell Hotel. Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan
Tel: 00 353 (0) 49 952 6444
e-mail: slieve-reservations@quinn-hotels.com
www.quinnhotels.com
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