Cullintra House

The Place

Patricia Cantlon is known for her leisurely, candle-lit dinner parties at the 250-year-old ivy-clad farmhouse where she was born. When our reporter called, Patricia had several important jobs to do before getting under way in the kitchen: station herself outside the front door with palette and brushes to finish off a painting and race off to the vet with one of her cats. No two dinners are the same: call Patricia when you’re booking and she will think up a menu to satisfy your every whim. The day begins when a guest knocks on her door to alert her that people are up and about and ready for breakfast (which could be noon). Her informality and originality have won her friends and admirers from all over the world. They leave messages in the visitors’ book such as ‘Great fun!’; ‘The house, the surroundings, the food, and most of all Patricia, were a magnificent find’.
She has, indeed, created a bewitching retreat. The low-ceilinged house abounds in artistic extras such as the imaginatively designed rooms in the green-roofed barn and the conservatory. There are log fires, long walks (there are countless acres of woodland to explore), conversations with cats and foxes, swimming in the river. Brandon Hil, Inistioge, New Ross and Kilkenny are charming day trips within easy reach. Patricia has marked a number of private paths around the farm and the woods, one leading to an ancient cairn dating back 4,000 years. She’s a natural hostess, with persuasive powers to make her guests feel they have entered a place that is not quite of this world. It works-possibily one of the reasons why Cullintra House received the Visitor Expereince Award by the Top 100 Attractions Britain and Ireland in 2017.