Glenribbeen Lodge

Local Attractions

We provide some gentle garden games and a small trampoline as well as a "putting green". Peter provides traditional archery lessons as well as Irish-music lessons. (Might even be persuaded to play something too!). Peter is also a BER assessor and can give useful tips on cutting down on energy waste.

Music sessions, salmon & trout-fishing, canoeing, horse riding, pony trekking, cycling are all readily at hand and the countryside abounds in splendid woodland and country walks, while the Waterford coastline is renowned for its golden sandy beaches and secluded coves. Nearby is the famous Vee, a gap in the Knockmealdowns overlooking Co. Tipperary. Golfers can choose from three excellent 18 hole courses within 15 minutes. Three minutes away is the 9 hole Lismore course overlooked by the fairytale Lismore Castle.Bikes, kites, and even a canoe is provided to guests at this Waterford Accommodation.

Glenribbeen BatWatch. Echo-locator and instructions are provided for "Glenribbeen Bat-Watch". Locally we have 3 types of bats.Daubenton’s Bat; seen/heard over the river.
Leisler’s Bat ; Ireland's largest flies over the 'inches' flood-plains between us and the river. Pipistrelles: Ireland's smallest bat. Flies out of the woods and eats up to 3,500 flies and midges of an evening. Together they help keep the bugs at bay. Glenribbeen valley itself is one of the few places where one might see pine martens (cata crann) provide aerial acrobatics chasing the red squirrels (ion rua).

Salmon Smoker. •  Glenribbeen Salmon smoker. (only one in the area).

The Fisherman's Path. A wonderful tree-lined (some are hundred's of years old) path to the river and thence along it to the 'Kitchen Hole'. One can see all sorts of butterflies, birds (kingfishers, herons, egrets, cormorants, LOTS of waders), otters, salmon (leaping) and even the (very) odd seal !! In the evenings its a great place to witness various bats.


Lismore Town: At the foot of the Knockmealdown mountains in west Waterford is one of Ireland's "Heritage Towns". Dating back to 636 AD the town as it is today was built during the 19th century. Lismore is very popular with tourists offering excellent hotels, pubs, guesthouses and craft shops. Lismore itself has a great history - It once had 3 universities and 29 churches. Legend has it that that a young Richard the Lionheart and Hildegard von Bingen studied here. Lismore was certainly home to Sir Walter Raleigh and Robert Boyle (father of modern chemistry) was born and bred in Lismore.


Cappoquin itself a famous name for salmon fishing - especially in August and September also has Irish traditional music sessions (where all are welcome) on the first Friday of each month as well at local festival times and has a wonderful new "Community Centre" (www.cappoquin.org/) that boasts a Childcare Facility, Education Centre, Sports Hall, Theatre, Gym, Cookery Kitchen, Company Office & Tourist Facility. 
Cappoquin ("The Seat of the Kean's") was once a smelter-town and produced cannon for the Napoleonic Wars - later made farm-implements and machinery as well a cutlery.






Cornerstone Festival: Cappoquin June 2009: Above is the Winnie Fennel Group performing at the square 24th June 2009.






Main Street, Lismore. The Lismore Hotel was Ireland's first purpose-built hotel and the Red House opposite it (and centre picture) was an inn for the coachmen. Now run by Micháel O'Leary it's simply a great traditional bar with a great stove to sit by.  Serves simple pub-grub.



Cappoquin. From my canoe, 24 Sept 2009.
"The town on the elbow of the Blackwater" - site of a cannon factory during the Napoleonic Wars and hiding place for some of Sir Walter Raleigh's plunder. (He was resident in Lismore around this time and is credited with bring the potato to an area South of Lismore where it was grown intensively-guarded by stone-towers- and then exported throughout the known world). Raleigh captured merchant ships (around 1600AD) and dismembered them for other projects. As a result some of the local place names are called after ships - 30kms from the sea.




Sunset at the famous Cappoquin Boathouse, High water at a spring tide March 2010.





Lismore Heritage Centre is located in the centre of the town straight across from the Millennium Park. It has an audio visual display available in English, German, Italian and French and starts with the arrival of St. Carthage in 636. It open from 9.30 to 5.30 all year round and from May to October its open Sat and Sun from 10.00 to 5.30 and 12.00 to 5.30 respectfully. Walking tours of Lismore leave daily at 11.00 and 3.00. 
Telephone: +353 58 54975/54855 Email: lismoreheritage@eircom.net  
   

Lismore Castle and Gardens which dates back to the mid 1100�s was formally the residence of the Bishop of Lismore, Then Richard Boyle, his son Robert (Scientist) and is now  the Irish residence of the Duke of Devonshire since 1602. The 7 acre Gardens are open to the public from mid April to mid October between 1.45 and 4.45 daily.

Lismore Castle (see: ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx#V1,604635,598771,6)
 

 

 

Lismore Millennium Park

Lismore Millennium Park is located in the centre of Lismore. It was a joint development between Waterford County Council and Lismore Mochuda Development Company Ltd and includes a variety of features including walkways, seating, a water fountain, ice house, bridge and waterfall, gazebo, obelisk and a Wood Sculpture of St. Carthage.

 

Wood Sculpture of St. Carthage- OR Mochuta (D. 637) Founder of LISMORE ABBEY;
www.catholicireland.net/church-a-bible/church/may-saints/1326-14-st-carthage-or-mochuta-d-637-founder-of-lismore-abbey

 

 

St Carthage's Catholic Church

 

St Carthage's Catholic Church

 

St Carthage's Catholic Church (Walter Doolin) in Lismore was built between 1881 and 1884 from red sandstone and white limestone supplied from a local quarry. It has a variety of stained glass windows of signifance, notably ones associated with Lismore like Carthage, Cathaldus and Colman. See: www.discoverlismore.com/saintcarthagechurch.shtml

 

St. Carthage's Cathedral

 

St. Carthage's Cathedral

 

St. Carthage's Cathedral was founded by St Carthage in 635 AD and used as a school and monastery. The Cathedral was destroyed in the 17th century and subsequently rebuilt. Four memorial stones from the 9th century and parts of the Crossing from 13th centuary are all that remain today.West windows in south transept by Edward Burne-Jones.
www.discoverireland.com/za/ireland-things-to-see-and-do/listings/product/

 

Lismore Castle & Gardens

Lismore Castle and Gardens which is located in the Blackwater Valley 
www.lismorecastle.com/
 

Lismore Golf Club

Lismore Golf Club, opened in 1965, is a 9 hole Golf Course set amongst mature woodlands under the faery-tale Lismore Castle.

 

The Towers

The Towers are 2 miles outside Lismore amongst beautiful woodland and ideal for visitors who like to go on long walks. The Towers is a favourite walk with a great story of pride, avarice and land-grabbing all leading to ultimate ruin!
During the famine years one family grabbed all they could from the weak and set about building a grand house to put all others into the shade. The gate-houses of the 'Towers' was as far as they got before running out of money. We've had a guest that actually was born and lived in the Hindi (East) Gate.

Blackwater River

The Blackwater River which flows through Lismore is a popular fishing river abundant with salmon and brown trout.

Blackwater Valley Garden Trail - Stories from the river of time.
See:www.blackwatervalley.ie/ for details of more lovely places to visit along The Munster Blackwater.
The Munster Blackwater rises in Kerry near Rathmore(a faery fort) close to Killarney and flows Eastwards to Cappoquin where it takes a sudden turn right - at the boathouse and heads directly South to enter the ocean 30kms away at Youghal.

 

Walkways in Lismore

There are many walkways in Lismore like The Lady Louise's ( .8km) to the more adventurous walks on the Knockmealdown Mountains. Along the river (West) is a deep cave that was lived in from pre-history to the '50's. There are 'icehouses' scattered all around the Blackwater valley - evidence of the trade in salmon that was taken by train from Lismore station directly to Billingsgate Fishmarket in London daily in season. Els collects our spring water. (The Spout)
Below is a stretch of The Lady Louise Walk along the river from the Spout. Gráinne often went 'truffling' here.

Hill walk Behind Glenribbeen Eco Lodge.


 

Walkways in Cappoquin

The Glenshelane River Walk in Cappoquin is a 10km trail through a wilderness of woods at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains. One can walk all the way to Mount Melleray Abbey is a community of Cistercian [Trappist] monks on the slopes of the Knockmealdown mountains. www.mountmellerayabbey.org/  Valentine Greatrakes - a coronal in Cromwell's New Army lived as a gentleman farmer in Affan. He woke up one day and felt he had been "touched by God" and he became a great healer. During the Great Plague shiploads of sick came to Youghal to receive 'the cure' - whatever about them there is NO record of anybody in Youghal ever catching this highly infectious disease during the mass-healing sessions.

Youghal:(Gael- The Place of the Yew Trees) One of Ireland's few medieval cities lies 30kms South of Cappoquin at the mouth of the Blackwater River. Seals, sea-otters and dolphins are regularly seen close to shore.

Glenribbeen Accommodation contact list.
(This may change from time to time.)

Fishing/Ghilly Contacts; .John Murphy at Cappoquin Post Office will provide info on coarse and game fishing. John is also the man for permits, tackle, baits etc and is a store of information on the 3mls/5kms of double-bank fishing on the Blackwater. 54152 or e-mail; jmurphy5@eircom.net

Horse-Riding Conacts; Fermoy Equestrian. www.bridestownequestrian.com/ 087 9627302.
.Ballybrack, (near Cork) +353 (0)87 8187595. Finisk Valley Riding Centre, Proprietor: Therese White, phone: 024 9625

Boat-Hire Contacts; . Wheely-Boat for anglers that aren't as secure on their legs as previously;
Phone Peter 086-6017176 or Jeremy Nickolson; 0872339220.
Cappoquin Boat-Hire: Denis Murry; 0876832872, Canadian Canoes and rowing boats.
Lake boats; Cappagh Lakes trout-fishing - www.cappaghlakes.com/

Golf Contacts; . W. Waterford Club: All 058 - 42870, Goldcoast: 44055,  Dungarvan: 43310

Lismore Golf Club; Contact: Tim Murphy Mobile: +353 (0)86 3521070 Email: twmurphy@eircom.net

 

For further information on any of the details above please Contact Peter