The house is an eco-house, and warm and cosy all year round, with air-conditioning if needed in the summer. Inishcoo House and its garden is completely enclosed and is totally safe for wandering children. Beyond that is another 6 acres of private grounds enclosed on three sides by lovely old stone walls where older children can play unsupervised among the wild flowers and boulders (brilliant for hide and seek!).
Within the grounds stands an old stone watch hut from which coastguards have observed the bay for centuries and where our guests can do the same today in complete peace and seclusion.
In keeping with the eco friendly theme, it is necessary to conserve water on Inishcoo as much as possible. Instead of mains water, rainwater is harvested and filtered – a system that will no doubt become more common on the mainland as water charges apply! FREE WI-FI is included with fast Broadband speed and there is good mobile telephone reception (although you may need to be by a window as the walls are so thick)!
NB. The owners warn that although we will do all we can in our power to restore any break in the link with broadband, we are very much in the hands of the provider, who for some reason requires four working days notice before an engineer contacts us. There is no choice of Internet provider, and we can only apologise if there is a problem while you are there. We will hope that if the worst happens, there will be enough excitements living on the island to be able to enjoy the escape from modernity and the rat race!
Oscar Duffy is our friendly caretaker and he is on hand throughout your holiday. He is also available to ferry guests to Burtonport or on boating trips around the islands. Many of our guests enjoy the island so much that they only visit the mainland once or twice a week to do the shopping. There are four excellent supermarkets in nearby Dungloe, 8 minutes drive from Burtonport, with local fish and vegetable markets on various days.
But for those that do want to explore Donegal, some of the wildest and most beautiful scenery in Ireland awaits them. Mountain ranges, deep lakes, the tallest cliffs in Europe, mile-long sandy beaches, legendary links golf courses, old pubs (many with gaelic music): everything is here to make this holiday completely unique. The weather is often surprisingly hot and sunny (thank you the gulfstream), and ofe course it can also be fierce and wet, but it will always be an experience and usually liable to change within the next half hour!
Besides a Visitors Centre, voluntarily manned, there is an excellent, very friendly and hospitable pub/restaurant in Burtonport – The Lobster Pot – which is owned and run by Tim and Anne who will cater for your needs should you want your freezer stocked in advance with tasty dishes; or they can send over food with Oscar if given enough notice or cook and prepare fresh lobster and crab for you should you prefer not to do it yourself.
Donegal’s greatest asset is undoubtedly its people: friendly, genuine, hardy and as unspoilt as the countryside. You’ll remember their warmth and humour long after you’ve returned home and we believe you’ll want to come back again and again as most of those who holiday here do. It is a magical place which can adapt to be the perfect family holiday; ideal for a seminar or team-building venue or the ultimate retreat just to recharge the batteries and escape the cares of the world. Give it a try: we think you’ll be really astonished at what you find here.
