Division of Genies World of Travel, Inc. Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe House

Welcome To The Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe is a large country house on a 400 acre farm 20 miles east of Cork City, Ireland.

The hotel is family run. Guests enjoy comfortable accommodation and an award winning restaurant in pleasant rural surroundings.

Ballymaloe is 5 km from several seaside villages that provide fishing, bathing beaches and beautiful cliff walks.
Hotel facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, small golf course, tennis court, woodland walks and a children's play area. There is often live music in the evening.

Holiday / Vacation and small conference venue.

History

Ballymaloe House. The buildings in use date back to the 1600's, all built into and around a 15th century Norman Castle.

The Family. Ivan Allen, a young fruit grower and his wife, Myrtle, moved
into Ballymaloe in 1948. They expanded into mixed farming and brought up their six children. Myrtle started a restaurant and it developed into a hotel. Now with 22 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren, many new family enterprises have developed.

How it all started

"I suppose it all started in 1932 when Ivan, aged 17, came to help Wilson Strangman to run his farm at Shanagarry. Times were hard but he and Ivan diversified their production brilliantly into alternative crops. These were and are the basis of our cuisine."

"In 1943, in wartime, large quantities of tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and apples were been exported from the farm to England and Wales. The surplus came into my kitchen along with cream, butter and eggs and slowly I learnt how to cook with them, guided by my gourmet husband."

"In 1964 I felt confident enough to open our dining room as a restaurant for dinner on five nights a week. I knew our food was good but I didn't expect to get so many awards. As farm prices went down we expanded our rooms and restaurant business."

Accommodations

The old rooms main house are charming and comfortable.

New more spacious rooms downstairs on the north side have views over the river and bird life at the back of the house. They also have quick and easy access to the swimming pool and tennis court in the summer.

The courtyard rooms (below right) beside the main house are in an independent building. The ground floor rooms allow cars to be brought to the bedroom door if necessary.

The 16th century gatekeepers house (below) has an entrance hall and bathroom downstairs. There is a tiny twin-bedded room upstairs with an open fireplace. It's ideal for any rowdy teenagers!

All the rooms have private bathrooms.
Children's beds or cots can be provided.

Restaurant

The Ballymaloe restaurant was started by Myrtle Allen as the Yeats Room and has become world famous.

In 1996 the running of the kitchen was handed over to Rory O'Connell.

Breakfast is casual and goes on until quite late. It includes freshly laid eggs from the farm, fresh breads from the kitchen, porridge made from stone ground oatmeal from a local mill, homemade jams and marmalade, served on blue check table cloths.

Picnics and light or full lunches are available. See our menu. Sunday lunch is a buffet served at 1 o'clock.

Children's tea. A sociable occasion for the younger set. The menu offers a wide variety of dishes from chips and beans to pâtés and salads, roast chicken, or homemade burgers.

Dinner. On weekdays the menu provides a choice of hot soups or cold starters, followed by a fish or pâté course. Main course is a choice of fish, poultry or meat from our local butcher. A cheese board and desert trolley, followed by coffee or tea and petit fours completes the meal.

On Friday nights, dinner starts with an hors d'œuvres buffet, the specialty being fresh shellfish gathered that morning in Kenmare Bay.

On Sunday nights dinner is a splendid buffet of freshly prepared meats and salads along with homemade soups and deserts.

All the biscuits, breads and deserts are made in our own bakery.

Facilities

The hotel facilities include:

Heated outdoor pool (Summer only).
Tennis court.
5 hole golf course.
Croquet lawn.
Children's play equipment - sandpit, swings and board games.
Shop and Cafe.

There is music in the drawing room on most Saturday nights. Rory Allen can be seen playing in the hall regularly during the week. He also does a weekend of music twice a year.

Short walks can be taken around the ponds and woodlands. You'll see plenty of wildlife including our resident ducks, geese and peacocks.

Ballymaloe also has a two acre walled vegetable and herb garden running alongside the tower house on the opposite side of the car park to the main entrance. Guests are welcome to stroll around it. It is here that most of the restaurants herbs and vegetables are grown, as well as some fruit including apples, berries and grapes.