Abhainn Ri Garden    It is the 1st March and the start of Spring.  So excited to see all the flowers starting to appear and dreaming of when the gardens will be filled with colour.  Just a few photos of memories from Spring 2023 to cheer us along until the garden colour appears.

Nan Byrnes Oxford Lunch Recipe A few years ago I shared this recipe as a Blog and just yesterday I received a lovely email from a lady saying she could not locate the Blog and could I post it again as she loved to make it at Christmas time to.   So as the story went:     When I first met my husband Joe and we were going out together I have fond memories of coming to tea at Christmas to the Farmhouse. Joe’s Mammy Nan always baked a really tasty Oxford Lunch. Over the years it became an annual treat as she baked one for everyone close to her as a Christmas gift. Today I have baked and Oxford Lunch following her recipe and I wish to share with you this wonderful family favorite – Nan’s Oxford lunch.   Oxford Lunch Ingredients:   350g/12oz Plain Flour 225g/8oz Butter 25g/1oz Ground Almonds ½ teaspoon Baking Powder 675g/1½lb Sultanas 225g/8oz Caster Sugar 5 Eggs (lightly beaten) Juice and Rind of 1 Orange 125g/4oz Cherries (halved) 125g/4oz Mixed Peel   How to:   Mix together sultanas, halved cherries and mixed peel with the grated zest and juice of one orange. Leave over night for a really tasty cake. Cream butter and sugar together gradually add the beaten eggs then fold in the ground almonds. Sieve in the flour and baking powder then fold into the mixture. Mix the fruit and cake mixture together then place in three lined loaf tins and bake in a preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for 1.5 hours approx. Check at intervals and reduce heat if necessary. Cool in tin. Remove wrap in parchment paper and cover in tin foil and store in a tin.   It is at its very best if left for a few days to mature before cutting.

We are delighed to receive our award from Booking.com as 9.6 for Abhainn Ri Farmhouse.   It is a pleasure to have guests stay with us from all around the world.

At Abhainn Ri Farmhouse we love to bake all our own breads, scones, cakes and muffins.   Guests can experience a tasty breakfast or afternoon tea filled with lots of treats baked by Joe and Niamh.   New for 2023 Joe shall be making wonderful sourdough bread for breakfast & afternoon tea to join our very special selection of soda breads, scones and cakes.   We look forward to lots of new treats for guests in 2023.

The garden at Abhainn is one of our greatest hobbies. Joe & I love the garden and the pleasure it brings to all our guests from season to season. Each year we plant lots of new shrubs and flowers. Joe takes lots of cuttings of our favourite plants and we continue to plant new areas each year.   Wicklow is the garden of Ireland and each year lots of guests stay with us to visit the many gardens and expert gardeners in the area.   We share lots of stories on the garden and its many very old plants grown by previous generations of the Byrne family.   Lots of guests come from all parts of the world each year to visit the many gardens that Wicklow has to offer.

We are delighted to share the news that we have just completed some refurbishments in all our self catering cottages just in time for the busy 2022 holiday season.   We have removed all carpets and replaced them with wooden floors in all the bedrooms and on the stairs and landing.   The stairs now has a non slip surface.   The bathrooms have all been re tiled and with new shower doors and fittings added.   Our guests staying for season 2022 shall enjoy the updated improvements along with the new curtains & cushions we added to the bedrooms.   We look forward to a bright season ahead.

How we opened up our farm and home to paying visitors – Irish Independent 24/02/22 We are so delighted to feature in this weeks #irishindependent newspaper in the Agri Business Farm Diversifiction section. The feature is about how we diversified from farming into tourism and opened up the farm lands and family farmhouse to welcome visitors from around the world. A very special thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way over the past 20 years. Grateful appreciation to our guests, family, friends, tourism organisations and especially to the superb staff both present & past that have made it all possible to achieve. #bandbireland #abhainnri #agritourism #selfcateringaccommodation #letsgoselfcatering #failteireland #visitireland #visitwicklow   https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/agri-business/how-we-opened-up-our-farm-and-home-to-paying-visitors-41460489.html     The Byrnes can host 30 guests in the B&B and self-catering lodges on their beautiful Wicklow holding, where they also offer cookery and baking classes and farm walks. The agri-tourism has been so successful, they sold their cattle and sheep   Scenic: Joseph and Niamh Byrne with their eggs at Abhainn Rí Farmhouse B&B overlooking the Wicklow mountains and Blessington Lakes. Photos: Dave Barrett   Tamara Fitzpatrick   March 18 2022 08:51 AM   Niamh and Joseph Byrne first branched into the agri-tourism sector 20 years ago when they built four self-catering lodges on their farm in Ballintober, Hollywood, Co Wicklow.   Since then, they’ve opened up their farmhouse as a B&B and diversified further, adding a purpose-built kitchen where they hold cookery classes, and creating a looped trail through their farm.   “Joseph grew up on the farm, which has always been mixed enterprise, and our kids are the sixth generation on this plot of land,” says Niamh.   “It’s a beautiful area that has always attracted visitors and we knew there was an opening for some type of self-catering accommodation here.”   In 2002, the couple built their four lodges where their vegetable patch used to be.   “We had a lovely plot of land there so we applied for planning and built the lodges right beside the farmhouse,” says Niamh.   The following year, Abhainn Rí self-catering was open for business, and since then, the Byrnes have been welcoming visitors from all ends of the earth.   12 Bánóg the goat and her two-month-old kids   Fast-forward ten years, and the success of their business venture prompted the couple to re-evaluate the future of the farm.   “We’d always kept a large herd of beef cattle, mostly Aberdeen Angus and a flock of Jacob sheep,” says Niamh, who has a background in computing and business.   “And although both of our children (who are grown up now) have a connection to agriculture, neither of them are interested in farming in the traditional sense. So we wanted to pass on a farming enterprise that wasn’t just cattle and sheep.   “The self-catering had been doing so well that we decided to diversify further into the agri-tourism side of things and convert part of our farmhouse into a B&B by building two extra bedrooms and another kitchen where we could teach cookery and baking classes to visitors.”   Both Niamh and Joseph are keen bakers and cooks — Niamh has taken classes with Ballymaloe Cookery School and Dublin Cookery School over the years. They decided to offer an afternoon tea package to their visitors, making all their own food.   “The farmhouse is around 180 years old and it has the gorgeous sash windows and wooden panelling. It’s traditionally Irish and our American guests in particular just love it,” says Niamh.   12 Niamh with the morning baking   In 2016, they decided to get out of cattle and sheep and buy a few other farm animals to complement their tourism business.   “We sold our cattle at Blessington mart and sold the sheep too,” says Niamh.   “Joseph and his father always loved horses and the opportunity came up to buy a couple of retired jumping ponies and some Connemara ponies, so we took it.”   The Byrnes also got four donkeys and some more laying hens and turkeys.   “We knew from feedback that visitors loved coming to stay in the farm setting and seeing the animals. There’s something special and unique about the whole farm holiday,” says Niamh.   Their farmland borders the Blessington lakes, so in 2017 they put in a walkway through the farm, leading down to the lake.   “It’s a beautiful, peaceful walk,” says Niamh, who also added a downstairs suite to their farmhouse to cater for a couple of extra guests.   The walkway was so popular that the Byrnes went a step further last year, and created a looped trail through the farm, with special touches.   “We have a fallen, ancient high cross on the farm that has been documented as protected by Trinity College,” says Niamh.   “It’s a great point of interest for visitors so we wanted a nice path where they could walk to it. We created the looped trail and added little mindfulness sayings along the way, written on slates from our farmhouse roof.   Pogue and Paisty the donkeys wait for morning snacks 12 Pogue and Paisty the donkeys wait for morning snacks “Since we sold out the cattle, we haven’t been using fertiliser on our fields so our meadow, that we would previously have used for silage, grew tall and lush and filled with buttercups.   “It’s such a gorgeous sight so last year we mowed a trail through it so that guests could take a walk through the wildflower meadow.”   The looped trail at Abhainn Rí passes through the Byrnes’ ancient orchard, whose fruit is used to make food for guests.   “We have an abundance of cooking apples, rhubarb and berries growing there,” says Niamh. “We make rhubarb and gooseberry compotes and jams and bake some of the cakes, treats and scones for the afternoon tea from what we grow in the orchard.   “We have beautiful wild blackberries that make gorgeous jams and desserts.”   12 Vintage: The farm Massey Ferguson   Niamh says the eggs laid by her turkeys are also a great addition to her farmhouse kitchen.   “They’re unusual and most visitors have never actually seen a turkey egg. They’re huge, about four times the weight of a hen egg and they’re great for baking with,” she says.   “We now have 25 laying hens as well as the turkeys so we have plenty of eggs to meet the demand of running the B&B and doing the catering.”   The Byrnes can host 30 people now (24 in the lodges and six in the farmhouse).   “It’s a lovely staycation for young families,” says Niamh. “The children can come and feed the hens and visit the donkeys and ponies.   “The walkways show the natural beauty of living on a farm and then the cookery classes demonstrate what you can make with the simple produce that comes from the farm.”   12 Niamh and Joseph outside their B&B   ‘This business isn’t for everyone — you have to be prepared to share your home with other people’   What level of start-up costs did you incur?   We’ve established the business gradually over a period of 20 years so we never had a big initial start-up cost. We’ve always waited to see if one thing is successful until we move on to another. The business we’re in isn’t an easy one, though — we’ve reinvested until we got towhere we are now.   How long did it take to get your business off the ground?   With the self-catering it took two to three years to know that it was going well, and it was the same when we launched the farmhouse. When we’d see that one thing was successful, we’d move on to the next phase. We’ve always judged what is successful based on feedback from our guests — we find that a great way of moving forward.   Did you find any agencies helpful when starting out?   B&B Ireland was brilliant for advice and the Self-catering Federation is great for anyone starting out in this sector. Fáilte Ireland is excellent too. We’ve found it particularly good when looking for four-star approval.   Did you require planning permission?   Yes, we needed it for the self-catering lodges in 2002 and then for the extensions to the B&B. It’s a troublesome process and takes a lot of time.   What has been your biggest challenge?   The pandemic was very worrying for us but thankfully we are back on track again now. And when we started the cottages, the recession hit. What we do is hard work and it’s a seven-days-a-week job. When you come from a farming background, you’re well used to hard work though.   Running a self-catering business or B&B isn’t for everyone, because you have to be prepared to share your home with other people.   Was financing readily available from the banks?   Getting finance would have been a challenge for us, and that’s another reason why we developed the business in stages.   We found it difficult to get initially for the self-catering. It’s hard to convince the banks that you’re going to make a success of something.   You need a good business knowledge when you’re going to the banks for finance, and even with my background in business, we found it difficult.

We love everytime of the year in the garden at Abhainn Ri but especially springtime when we await the arrival of the snowdrops. The first sign that the growth has started and we can look forward to welcoming back all the colourful flowers and shrubs once again.   Joe and I love the wide open space with lots of interesting plants to find each year. Guests come from the four corners of the world to visit Wicklow known as the garden of Ireland to view all the superb gardens. They enjoy a restful cup of tea & cake while taking  in the Wicklow landscape at Abhainn Ri.   Even if you take the farm trail you can search for all the wild flowers growing since time began.

Best Family Friendly Holiday Winner 2021 – Abhainn Ri Cottages Abhainn Ri Farm Cottages have won the award for Best Family Friendly Holiday at the European Holiday Home Awards 2021   We are so delighted and honored to win this European industry award for Best Family Friendly Holiday. It is very special to bring back an award for Ireland with such strong competition from all of the larger European countries. A special thank you to all the judges who selected us from all the hundreds of entries. We look forward to 2022.     Read more about the European Holiday Home Awards 2021 Finalists   Launched in 2015 by the European Holiday Home Association, the EHHA Holiday Home Awards highlight and celebrate the very best of short-term rentals from across the world.   The Awards are given to individual holiday homes that provide for a unique and high-quality holiday experience.   An expert jury selects a group of finalists amongst the nominated houses in each category, and the winners are selected from the finalists by a vote amongst representatives from each national trade association member of the EHHA.   Abhainn Ri Cottages are an ideal location for all family members. The location has stunning views of the lakes and Wicklow mountains and the mindfulness farm trails with farm animals are wonderful to visit. Read more details about Abhainn Ri Self Catering.   Owners: Joseph & Niamh Byrne Website: www.abhainn-ri.com Contact: Niamh Byrne Email: niamh@abhainn-ri.com Tel:  00353 (0)86 8372061

Autumn Fun Trail Autumn on Abhainn Ri is a great season for nature; red, yellow and orange leaves are falling, crab apples and conkers are waiting to be collected, bugs, slugs and emigrating birds are out and about.  Pull on your wellies and head out on a Autumn hunt on our farm trail!   Kids will love exploring and searching for leaves of every colour, spider webs, pine cones, conkers, acorns, slugs, snails or a rarely spotted but highly coveted hedgehog.  Write a list and tick off anything they spot, and collect items if they can. Give it a halloween twist and add pumpkins, bats, creepy crawlies and spooky characters to your list.

Abhainn Ri Feature in Food & Hospitality Guide We are delighted to be recommended by Georgina Campbell in Ireland’s Leading Independent Food & Hospitality Guide. Such a wonderful review.   “A high-end farm stay buried deep in the heart of Wicklow’s lakeland and surrounding hills run by fifth-generation farmhouse owners with plenty of thoughtful touches to make a visit here memorable, whether a short B&B stay or a longer self-catering holiday”   Read more on Abhainn Ri feature in the Ireland Guide

The Byrne family have created a wonderful welcoming space where visitors can reconnect with nature and experience country living and freedom away from the stresses of everyday life. Wander freely through the fields and follow the Mindfulness Trail dotted with notes of inspiration while enjoying a little banter with the friendly farm animals along the way. Take a a looped walk through the fields to the lakeshore visiting many special locations along the way.

We are so excited this year to be offering our guests the opportunity to enjoy our new mindfulness farm trail. This year has been a challenging year and everyone wishes to get outdoors for the freedom to explore nature. We are currently creating a mindfulness trail which will take you from your accommodation through the fields, paying attention to nature while following our newly mowed pathways through the meadows. Along the way to the lakeshore you can read lots of little mindfulness sayings and maybe bump into some of our friendly farm animals. You can also search for wild flowers and count how many different types you find.  We will guide you with markings around a looped trail through hedgerows, streams, small bridge, high cross and lots more. You must come and stay at Abhainn Ri to enjoy this special place.

Family Friendly Summer Staycation A family holiday is really important to us all. They allow us to step away from everyday life and reconnect with the people we love, a time to relax and recharge and leave us with life-long happy memories.   During the past year the one thing we have missed most is the connection with our family & friends.  Abhainn Ri offers an ideal location for re connection with family & friends.   We have four identical cottages that can be booked individually or several cottages for a family staycation.  Our cottages are fully equipped, sleep six with all bedrooms en suite all have stunning lake views.   We have a play area where children can enjoy the swing and slide or sit on our old tractor and then visit our selection of hens. During 2021 we shall include looped nature trails on our 100 acre farm with freedom for everyone to visit our selection of farm animals along the trail.   We welcome our guests with tea / coffee and a home baked treat on arrial.  Our cottages are approved by Failte Ireland and we follow the guidelines for cleaning and preparing for our guests arrival.  We also have key collection boxes located at our Farmhouse B&B reception so that guests can do a self check in.   We offer our guests staying at Abhainn Ri the option to book breakfast in our Farmhouse B&B or to order a very specail treat of our highly popular Afernoon Tea.   We had the most wonderul July & August in 2020 when we welcomed guests from all around the country and we look forward to welcoming everyone again in Summer 2021.

At Abhainn Ri mindfulness has become part of our daily life and it allows us to live and enjoy the moment.   We are located in an area with so much nature and beauty.  It is so lovely to be able to spend time outdoors observing the landscape, watching tiny birds, finding wild flowers, viewing the beautiful skies by cloud watching, visiting the farm animals, following the trails through the fields to the lakeshore and simply being present.     Walking Mindfulness Walking through the countryside are therapeutic, combining gentle movement in nature with mindfulness. This can be practiced by walking silently on a trail through the fields or along the shoreline or up to the viewing bench at the hightest point on the farm.   Take note of your surroundings – what you see, hear, smell, taste, feel. Allow your thoughts to pass without attaching to one in particular. If you find you’re getting distracted, that’s fine!   Start again with bringing your attention to the present moment.   Feelings of awe or wonder, gratitude and appreciation often bubble up when giving such attention to nature.   “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

Abhainn Ri Gift Vouchers Gift a farm stay experience to loved ones this Christmas with an Abhainn Ri gift voucher. Ideal gift for families, friends or couples to stay and explore. Stunning views, farm walks, farm animals, tasty farmhouse breakfast, afternoon tea or baking class.   #buyirish #supportlocal #supportsmallbusiness #buyinireland #justbuyirish   Read More Details   Buy Gift Voucher