The Stables at Garrykennedy

The Property

The Stables at Garrykennedy

A converted stable with the views of a country house and the finish of a boutique hotel. Hosted by Ger & Ali, who live on-site but leave you completely to it.

The Stables is a newly renovated single-storey cottage set on a peaceful farm site on the slopes above Lough Derg. The conversion kept all the character — exposed pitch roof, generous proportions — while adding a contemporary fit-out: a linear fireplace in the open-plan living space, sage-green kitchen with solid oak worktops, and a wet room with patterned tile floors and backlit mirror.

Two bedrooms sleep five: a double with walnut herringbone furniture and brass detailing, and a family room with a double and a single. The kitchen window looks straight out over the fields and lake — you’ll wash up with better views than most restaurants in the country.

Hosts Ger and Ali are based on-site and happy to help, but the cottage is fully self-contained and private. Self check-in via lockbox means you arrive on your own schedule.

🔥 Linear fireplace

🍳 Full kitchen

📶 High-speed WiFi

📺 Smart TV

🚿 Wet room bathroom

🗏 Free private parking

💼 Dedicated workspace

🔑 Self check-in

☀ Solar panels

🌿 Farm setting

👪 Sleeps 5

🏞 Lake views

The Setting

On the Lough Derg Way

The Stables sits right on the edge of one of Ireland’s great long-distance walking routes — lace up and you’re on the trail within minutes.

The Lough Derg Way runs 40km along the eastern shore of the lake, connecting Killaloe with Dromineer through woodland, meadow and lakeshore paths. The Stables sits in the heart of this corridor — you can step out the door and walk straight onto the route.

The grounds have a kitchen garden with raised beds, a few apple trees, and free-range hens producing the morning eggs. It’s a quiet, green setting with buttercups in the grass and Lough Derg visible through the trees on a clear day.

The cottage is completely private and self-contained. Ger and Ali are nearby if you need anything, but you have the place entirely to yourself.

The Stables and its corrugated roofline, with the farm dog on the drive

Aerial view of The Stables with Lough Derg beyond the fields

Wet room bathroom with patterned tile floor

Bring the Kids

Easy Days Out for Families

Lough Derg is built for small explorers — safe paddling, inclusive playgrounds, forest fairy trails and a castle or two. Most of the best spots are a short hop from the door, with a wet-weather plan for the days Ireland does what Ireland does.

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Castlelough Amenity Park

5 km · Portroe

The pick of the bunch. A recently renovated, inclusive playground with eighteen play elements, right on the lakeshore — plus gentle paddling, a forest and lakeshore walk, picnic tables and the Lake Café for coffee while they burn off steam.

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Garrykennedy Harbour & Playground

4 min · The village

Your nearest playground sits right by the harbour, with picnic and barbecue facilities for a sunny evening. Watch the boats come and go, then wander to Larkins — named Ireland’s #1 pub in 2026 — for food. The shallow harbour edges are a favourite first paddle.

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Dromineer Beach & Playground

15 min · Lakeside

A bigger, modern playground beside the Lake Café, a Blue Flag swimming area and a sandy lakeshore. One of the safest, most popular family swimming spots on Lough Derg, with lifeguards in season and gentle water for little ones.

🗻

Killaloe River Cruises

20 min · Killaloe

An easy, scenic cruise on the Shannon and Lough Derg from Killaloe — a gentle hour on the water that even small kids love. Combine it with the Killaloe playground and its zip line, and lunch in the twin towns.

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Nenagh Castle

15 min · Nenagh town

Climb the spiral stairs of a genuine 13th-century round keep for views over the whole town — a quick, memorable stop the kids actually enjoy. Free to visit, with the town park playground and plenty of cafes a short walk away.

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Wet-Weather Plan

Rainy-day rescue

When the skies open, head for UL Sport in Limerick (40 min) — home to Ireland's tallest indoor climbing wall — or cool off at Westlake Aqua Park's inflatable course beside the UL Activity Centre at Two Mile Gate. Both are a proper day out.

☀ Indoor & all-weather

Eat & Drink

Feed Yourself Well

A four-minute walk to Larkins — named Ireland’s #1 pub by The Times in 2026. A 15-minute drive to a thatched fine-dining venue or a buzzing riverside town. This corner of Tipperary punches well above its weight at the table.

The Times 2026 — #1 Pub in Ireland (Top 50)

Larkins

📍 Garrykennedy · 4 min walk

In June 2026 The Times named Larkins the best pub in Ireland, top of its list of the country’s 50 finest — and it’s a four-minute walk from the door. Over 300 years old, it sits right on the pier in Garrykennedy with windows over the water, flagstone floors, an open fire in the snug, and traditional music every Sunday from 7pm. The menu is anchored in quality Irish produce: seafood chowder, Ruby Ale battered fish and chips, and steak from farms you can almost see out the window.

Georgina Campbell Guide recommended. Good Food Ireland member. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm. The kind of local that makes you extend your stay by a night.

#1 Pub in Ireland 20264 min walkLakeside viewsMusic Sundays 7pmOpen Wed–Sun from 12300+ years old

Visit website →

Ballina and Killaloe on the River Shannon

Ballina & Killaloe

📍 Ballina, Co. Tipperary / Killaloe, Co. Clare · 20 min drive

Twin towns connected by a beautiful 13-arched stone bridge where the River Shannon flows out of Lough Derg. Ballina (Tipperary side) and Killaloe (Clare side) together make up one of the most charming riverside destinations in Ireland. The Stables is perfectly placed between the two — an easy cycle or a short drive along the lake.

On the Ballina side: Tuscany Bistro and Flanagan’s on the Lake offer excellent dining beside the water. Killaloe has a strong café and restaurant scene, a beautiful Romanesque cathedral, and easy water access for kayaking and paddleboarding. A full afternoon or evening out.

Twin townsRiverside diningTuscany BistroFlanagan’s on the LakeKayaking & paddleboard20 min drive

Discover Ballina →

Nenagh & North Tipperary

📍 Nenagh town & Ballycommon · 15 min drive

Nenagh is the market hub of North Tipperary — a Saturday market with local producers and artisan bakers, a cluster of good cafés and restaurants, and a striking 13th-century round tower castle at its centre. Worth a morning or an evening, especially on market day.

The surrounding countryside between Nenagh and Dromineer holds some excellent dining options in atmospheric old settings. Worth asking locally for current recommendations — the area has a strong food culture and new places keep opening.

Nenagh Saturday marketLocal producersMedieval castleGood food culture15 min drive

Get Outside

Adventures on Your Doorstep

The Lough Derg shoreline is made for slow exploration — by wheel, by foot, by water, by fairway, or steaming in a lakeside sauna. Real routes from the door, recorded on Garmin.

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Cycling

Quiet roads, lake views, zero traffic

Three Garmin-recorded routes from the door: a 31km loop over Ballina’s famous School Hill, an 80km run to Broadford and the Slieve Felim foothills, and the full 112km Lough Derg circumnavigation for a big day out.

📍 Tap a route to see it on the map

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Walking

Ancient lakeshore paths and forest trails

The Lough Derg Way runs 40km along the eastern shore from Killaloe to Dromineer. The Stables sits right on the route — step out and you’re on the trail within minutes.

Lough Derg Way 40 km linear
Tountinna Ridge Loop 12 km moderate
Dromineer Harbour Walk 5 km easy
Slieve Felim Way 43 km full route

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Running

Parkrun, trails & Garmin-mapped loops

Three recorded routes: the 6km Garrykennedy Loop, a 7.8km Portroe loop with lake views, and the 12km Castlelough trail for a proper long run. Nenagh Parkrun every Saturday.

📍 Tap a route to see it on the map

Garrykennedy Loop 6.0 km
Portroe Loop 7.8 km
Castlelough Trail 12.3 km
Nenagh Parkrun 5 km Saturdays

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Lake Swimming

Wild, clean and genuinely cold

Lough Derg has excellent water quality and a serious wild swimming community. Swimmable May through September — with dedicated spots and a marked 1km open-water route at Youghal Quay.

Youghal Quay 1km marked route
Garrykennedy Pier 4 min drive
Dromineer Beach 8 min drive
Ballina Swim Spot 20 min drive
Killaloe Blue Way 22 min drive

🌡 Live Lake Temperature →

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Saunas

Hot steam, cold lake, pure reset

The Nordic bathing tradition has firmly arrived on the Shannon. Ritual Lifestyle in Dromineer is the real thing — a custom-built lakeside sauna overlooking Lough Derg, paired with specialty Pine Cone Coffee, a run club, yoga and Pilates. Heat up, take a cold dip in the lake, grab a coffee. Your new favourite ritual, 15 minutes from the door.

Ritual Lifestyle — custom sauna, Dromineer

Cold lake dip & specialty coffee on-site

Run club, yoga & Pilates classes

Book ahead — popular in summer

Book a sauna →

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On the Water

Sailing, kayaking & lake tours

Dromineer is the sailing heartland of the midlands. Lough Derg Watersports at Kilgarvan Quay runs kayaking and guided boat tours to the lake’s islands and ruins.

Lough Derg Watersports Kilgarvan Quay
Derg Lake Tours 1hr speedboat tours
Dromineer Sailing Club Day visitors welcome

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Golf

Five parkland courses within easy reach

Tipperary, Clare and Limerick's parkland courses make for a relaxed golf trip — quiet fairways, fair green fees, and a clubhouse pint after. East Clare and Portumna both sit right on the lake.

Nenagh Golf Club 20 min drive
East Clare Golf Club 25 min, lake views
Portumna Golf Club 30 min, forest parkland
Birr Golf Club 35 min
Castletroy Golf Club 45 min, Limerick

The Other Reason to Come

A Creative Retreat
in the middle of nature

Not every stay needs to be a holiday. Sometimes you just need to get out of the office and think.

The Stables is genuinely quiet. No road noise, no neighbours, no interruptions — just a mown grass path through the garden, a few apple trees by the door, and Lough Derg visible through the trees. The kind of environment where ideas actually come.

Writers, designers, developers, anyone working on something that needs quiet — the cottage works just as well for focused work as it does for switching off. Full fibre broadband keeps you connected when you need to be, and completely disconnected when you don’t.

📡 Full fibre broadband

💼 Dedicated workspace

🌿 Gardens & a few apple trees

🔒 Total privacy

🌞 No road noise

🌎 Sleeps 5, quietly

Check availability ↗

Mown path through the garden at The Stables

100

Mbps Fibre

Broadband

“Step out the door and you’re in the garden. Step back inside and you’re on the call. The two aren’t as far apart here as they are everywhere else.”

Location

The Perfect Base

Right on the M7 corridor and at the doorstep of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands — closer to everywhere than you’d expect, and far enough from anywhere to feel like you’ve actually escaped.

🏙

Dublin

East · Via M7 Motorway

A straight run on the M7 — one of Ireland’s easiest motorway drives. Dublin Airport, city centre and the commuter belt are all within reach for a day trip or a late Friday arrival after work.

⏱ ~1hr 45min

🌊

The West

Gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way

Lough Derg sits at the hinge between the midlands and the Wild Atlantic Way. The Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway city and Connemara are all easy day drives — the ideal base for exploring the west without the Galway prices.

⏱ 1hr to Ennis · 1hr 15 to Galway

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Hidden Heartlands

Ireland’s Newest Tourism Trail

You’re already in it. Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands follows the River Shannon from Lough Allen to Lough Derg — a 260km waterway trail through landscapes most overseas visitors never reach. This is where the real Ireland is.

🛥 On the route

Killaloe

20 min

Limerick

45 min

Galway

75 min

Cliffs of Moher

70 min

Dublin

105 min

The Stables
at Lough Derg

The Stables at Garrykennedy

Take the Virtual Tour

On the Lough Derg Way