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Posts Tagged ‘Terryglass’

Christmas Markets

Posted in Home, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2018| Leave a Comment »

We like to do things a bit differently here in Redwood!

You know the way so many people head off to Europe, especially Germany, for the Christmas Markets?  Well, we do the opposite!  Today, we took our German guest to two local Christmas Markets.  To say, she was surprised is probably a bit of an understatement.  Her comment was ‘the Irish are always thought of as always drinking’… yet, at these markets today there was no drink.

We’ve never been to a German Christmas Market but we are told they are all about mulled wine and food.

There are so many markets on in the neighbourhood this year.  Today, we visited Terryglass and Lorrha for their markets.  We finished off our tour of North Tipperary with afternoon tea at Redwood Castle where we got a preview of what’s in store for next weekend’s inaugural Christmas Market that will run over two days 8th and 9th.  They are promising a marvellous selection of craft and artisan producers from all over the country.

Birr Christmas Market is also on next weekend.  It is different opening times to Redwood Castle, so we should be able to get to both!

On Sunday 16th we will have another market in Lorrha.

Huge selection of crafts

Who needs to rack up the air miles, when you can drive a mile or two down the road to enjoy a market?

We are only an hour from Galway or Limerick if you fancy coming to markets with a difference.  And I should of course mention that we have limited bed and breakfast availability for these weekends too!

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Local Food Hero : Cais na Tire

Posted in Local Hero, tagged , , , , on September 29, 2015| 3 Comments »

It has been a while but here’s an introduction to another one of our super local hero food producers.

I went to visit Barry and Lorraine from Cais na Tire way back at the start of the summer…. the first thing that struck me as I drove into the farmyard just outside Terryglass was just how neat and tidy it was.  The old farmhouse with the beautiful red door is just so eye-catching.  Barry very kindly took me into the farmhouse before we started chatting sheep and cheese.

Front Door

A heritage front door

Walking into the old farm kitchen is like walking into a time machine.  The house belonged to Barry’s granduncle, and it absolutely amazing inside.  The dresser is beautiful (it actually featured in that short movie about traditional Irish furniture produced by Tony Donoghue)…. the calendar on the wall is from 2004.  As I say a complete time warp.

A typical Irish Dresser

A typical Irish Dresser

Having enjoyed that little tour, Barry then took me along to meet the sheep.

His herd is a mix of Friesland, and Friesland/Zwartbles crosses.  He choose the Friesland as they are ideal for milking, having clearer (cleaner) access to the udders.  Lambing had just finished so the purpose-built shed, and milking parlour, was a busy place with young lambs.

Friesland lambs

Friesland lambs

Barry took over the farm from his Dad in 2011, and introduced sheep to the mix in 2013.  Having started with 70 lambs, they have grown the herd to 105 ewes.  Any males that are born are sold off.  They kept 16 this year to restock the freezer!

Mother and babies

Mother and babies

The milking season is a short, but intense, for Barry and Lorraine.  The season starts in Spring and continues through the Summer to early Autumn.  Barry takes care of the milking with his 105 ewes producing about 1200 litres per week during the summer months.  The milk is transported twice a week to Marion at Killeen Cheese who makes the cheese on behalf of Cais na Tire.

Purpose built Milking Parlour

Purpose built Milking Parlour

When the cheese comes back to the farm, Lorraine takes over the process.  It is Lorraine that looks after the storing and turning of the cheese, the labelling and packaging.

Barry and Lorraine have chosen to sell their cheese wholesale through distributors.  Barry explained that this was the simpler option for them, neither of them have any marketing and/or sales experience.  As Barry said to me they are ‘farmers not retailers’.

The finished cheese : Cais na Tire

The finished cheese : Cais na Tire

Cais na Tire cheese is delicious.  It is quite a distinctive earthy flavour, and is particularly nice when cooked.  It makes a great substitute for parmessan.  The cheese is widely available through various outlets.

Contact:

Cais na Tire, Cloninaha, Terryglass, Co. Tipperary

Proprietors: Barry & Lorraine Cahalan

Phone: 087 2274789

Email: caisnatire@gmail.com

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I’m back

Posted in Undiscovered Ireland, tagged , , , , , , on June 29, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I know. I know.  I’ve been totally remiss about posting.  Honestly, though I’ve not been slacking.  We’ve been extremely busy with baby ducks, AirBnB guests, social media training, our new sheep (did I tell you we have sheep?)…. just so much has been going on.

I’ve about 500 blog posts half written (in my head)…. so I guess I’d better get the finger out and get them up here!!!

If we’ve had a couple of hours off, or just needed to get away from here for a few hours, we often just go exploring locally.  Do you feel that sometimes you are so busy with your life, that you hardly notice what’s right on your doorstep?

Graveyard Entrance

Graveyard Entrance

Saturday was one of those days, so we took a little time off and went to a local village – Terryglass.  If you’ve ever been to Terryglass I doubt if you would forget it.  It has to be one of the prettiest villages in the country.  The village itself is a few minutes walk from the shore of Lough Derg – on Saturday there was lots of activity on the shoreline with boats and jet-skiers.

The only hotel you'll find in Terryglass :)

The only hotel you’ll find in Terryglass 🙂

The village was also busy, well it does have two lively and award winning pubs!  They’re quite famous too – Paddy’s Pub and The Derg Inn. Nice places to stop for a coffee, a pint or a meal.

We also had a browse through a new shop – Revived and Retro – based in the old church.  They are doing some very interesting things with disused chairs and doors… well worth a visit.

A tummy rub was demanded on entry :)

A tummy rub was demanded on entry 🙂

the perfumes from the roses in this garden are amazing

the perfumes from the roses in this garden are amazing

I want a garden like this!  Seriously isn’t it beautiful?

If you’re down this way a great time to visit Terryglass is during the annual Arts Festival which this year takes place from 12th to 16th August…. always a great festival and wonderful atmosphere.

So when are you coming on a visit?  Terryglass is only 10 minutes away from us!

 

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