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Gortnabool
The view south from Gortnabool across the North Tipperary hills.

The Area

High in the hills above Borrisoleigh, in the quiet middle of North Tipperary, the Devil's Bit on the skyline, the whole valley laid out below.

Gortnabool sits on family land in the hills above Borrisoleigh, looking south and west across North Tipperary. The Devil's Bit is the mountain on the skyline; the valley falls away below the yard. It's quiet in the way only this part of the country still is.

There's a large farm to wander around the steading, and the grounds are split into several distinct areas: a wildflower garden to the front of the house, a gravel courtyard to the rear, rough grass down to the treeline, and a sunken fire pit for the evenings. A stream runs under the canopy at the bottom of the slope.

Most of it you'll have to yourself. The laneway up to the house runs the best part of a kilometre, with little to no traffic, so it's yours to come and go as you like.

The grounds

The stone steading and its gravel courtyard, the hills rising behind.
Grass-topped timber steps climbing into the woodland above the yard.
A stream running under the tree canopy at the foot of the slope.
The lawn at the edge of the trees, the hill fields beyond.
The flagged courtyard beside the stone buildings, looking out to the hills.
The long stone barn range along the courtyard at Gortnabool.

Beyond the gate

Mountain walking starts the minute you leave the door; the Devil's Bit is straight up from the gate. Drive a little further and within an hour you can be at a market town, a great food scene, or a twelfth-century abbey. The short list below is the practical one, near things first, then the ones worth the drive.

Features

Within an hour of the gate

  • Borrisoleigh

    The nearest village. Pubs, a post office, and the road up onto the Devil's Bit.

  • Cashel

    About thirty-five minutes south. The Rock of Cashel on its outcrop, and a very good food scene in the town below.

  • The Devil's Bit

    The mountain you can see from the yard, straight up from the gate. A walk to the gap and back from the door, longer the scenic way.

  • Templemore

    Fifteen minutes north. A market town with a good café or two and a big public park.

  • Holy Cross Abbey

    A twelfth-century Cistercian abbey on the Suir, restored and still in use.

Where to eat

For eating, Borrisoleigh and Templemore both have good cafés close to hand. For something more, there's a very good food scene in Cashel, about thirty-five minutes from the house. We keep a running list of current favourites, so ask when you book and we'll point you at what's good that week.

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