Éalú mór Ballylickey

26/08/2024

The Last Rose of Summer? The garden tidy has revealed some late flowering beauties....song to follow in the next video...

‘Tis the last rose of Summer,
Left blooming alone;' Thomas Moore 1779 – 1852

19/08/2024

A very interesting exhibition as part of celebrating the life and work of www.ellenhutchins.com - Ireland's first female botanist who lived in and produced stunning descriptions and drawings of seaweed, lichens and native plants. Her drawings and letters are now kept in several archives across the UK and Ireland including .

The photos show:
*Delicate pressed flowers in Ellen's personal books.
*Saving paper through "cross-hatched" letter writing.
*Postage mileage calculated at 164 miles from Dublin to Bantry by means of a compass and the "7" price tag to be paid by the recipient on the envelope.
*Ellen's stunning description of the view here at Ballylickey - still holding true today!
*One of Ellen's beautiful drawings of seaweed.

I also really enjoyed "A Quiet Tide" by Marianne Lee about Ellen's life and work. https://www.newisland.ie/fiction/a-quiet-tide

17/08/2024

Lovely day - ferry to Long Island from Colla Pier. Walking the island, finding a deserted cove with a view of in Westerland. Reading, picnic and obligatory swim. Beautiful. Well worth a visit.

13/08/2024

24/06/2024

Terri makes even more homely with beautiful flowers from the garden - including magnificent roses and dogwood blossoms. The correct name for the dogwood is: Hybrid Flowering Dogwood (Cornus x rutgersensis) in 'Stellar Pink'. Why not come to our garden and see the whole tree in blossom?

10/06/2024

Ending Monday on a peaceful, calm note - just relax and enjoy!
"So beautiful is the still hour of the sea's withdrawal, as beautiful as the sea's return" - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

07/06/2024

When we first arrived in Ballylickey, the front garden was a sort of swamp with a large garage right in front of the house. Video taken when we were about half way towards completion works - buildings first, then landscaping. Quite a transformation !

05/06/2024

Do you like to cook? we have well equipped, generous kitchen complete with hob, oven, microwave, fridge and freezer for you to test your culinary skills in. Or you can wash up whilst looking out to sea....!

03/06/2024

With officially over we can cut the grass again - but it really looked lovely with all the wild flowers and I am sure the bees and insects appreciated it! We are going to find an area of that we can re-wild and let nature take over!

27/05/2024

Once all pipes are in tune you can proceed to play - see video 1 for the tuning process! Amazing musicianship and improvisation on display at . Just one month to go until this festival starts. Have you booked your tickets and checked out the sheer variety of music on offer? https://www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/

27/05/2024

Posting two videos in quick succession. The first one answers the question: how do you tune a made from a plastic plumber's pipe so that it plays in the same key as the ? With a saw of course - cutting off bits until you reach the right key! Video one is tuning in preparation for a performance - West Cork Chamber music festival a couple of years ago taking place in the atmospheric ...video 2 to follow shortly!

24/05/2024

Coffee houses have a rich history and we are very fortunate to have the absolutely stunning across the road (which is also on the @). A good portion of any trip to Ballylickey is taken up with trips to Mannings...with friends, a good book, or just a cuddly toy for company! Shout out to the fantastic Andrew and Laura for keeping a third generation family business going and providing such a welcoming space with so much to indulge in and purchase. A separate post will follow on their amazing wine selection! ☕

22/05/2024

Have you noticed the emblem on the Ballylickey road sign is a beautiful fuschia flower? Fuschias grow wild all through West Cork but also make an appearance in the garden . We have lots of flowers at this time of year - come and enjoy!

20/05/2024

Can you guess what this picture is? It is a macadamia nut tree....what on earth has that got to do with West Cork? Well the clue is in the word "earth". West Cork being on the very edge of Western Europe (next stop America!) means that most people need to travel to . Public transport is still limited which means planes, ferries and cars are used by most of our guests. If you are concerned about your why not consider this amazing charity for offsetting your trip: https://www.nenomacadamiatrust.org/home.html This is a truly virtuous circle charity where planting macadamia trees, literally cools the earth, stops soil erosion, allows other crops to be planted in the shade and gives farmers an economically viable crop to sell. Give it a try....! The planet and people of Malawi will thank you!!

17/05/2024

Well last weekend in West Cork was a cracker. I'm sorry if you weren't there to enjoy it - but hopefully this will help! Every night was a stunning sunset with each evening more beautiful than the one before! you can grab your phone or camera and walk down to the end of the garden and just soak in the moment....or moments! Wonderful!!

15/05/2024

With a bit of notice, has a wonderfully flexible space we call the "link". It sort of links the buildings and also visually links the front garden to the back garden with lots of patio doors that can all open for a gentle breeze. We had a lovely yoga class for six ladies, with who is part of a group of teachers delivering great classes at . Planning a weekend away and want some ideas? Just message me!

13/05/2024

Calling all children! we have a beautiful, child friendly room - that can also cater for adults! With full size single beds, very comfortable memory foam mattresses and your own reading light you can get cosy. Lots of space for playing and some toys as well. What are you waiting for??

10/05/2024

Some "light" touches ...which include our staircase lit by some clever roof light tubes (thanks Dad). Pretty and useful lighting can make all the difference in a usually slightly neglected space. Come and check it out for yourself by booking at www.ealumor.com.