Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [175]
Saffron ( 058-53778; Main St; mains €8-15; lunch & dinner) Low lighting and plum-coloured walls give this impressive Indian restaurant an intimate, classy ambience. The spicy chickpea chana massala is highly recommended.
Foley’s ( 058-53671; Main St; mains €10-24; 9am-9pm) This inviting traditional pub serves excellent steaks, fish and homemade burgers in its interior replete with peacock wallpaper, leather-backed benches and an open fire, or in the floodlit beer garden out back.
O’Brien’s Chophouse ( 058-53810; www.obrienchophouse.ie; Main St; mains €13.50-23.50; 10:30am-10pm Mon-Sat, from 11:30am Sun) This new restaurant in an old Victorian pub serves locally sourced dishes, including – yes – chops. They also offer traditional Sunday roasts from noon to 5pm.
There’s a small supermarket on Main St.
Shopping
Summerhouse ( 058-54148; Main St; 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) If you want to create that ‘heritage’ look in your own home (with a stylised, contemporary twist), check out the unusual glassware, fabrics, ceramics and ironwork at this gallery-style shop. It also sells handmade jewellery, and has an aromatic cafe and bakery onsite (dishes €4.75 to €11).
Getting There & Away
There are Bus Éireann ( 051-879 000) services in both directions between Lismore and Dungarvan (€6.40, 30 minutes) via Cappoquin on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and a Sunday bus to Dublin (€19.50, 4½ hours) at 3.45pm. On Friday there are buses to Waterford (€15.00, 1¼ hours) at 5.40pm and Cork (€13.80, 1¼ hours) at 9.50am. Buses stop outside O’Dowd’s on West St. Cork is also served by Hallahan’s Coaches ( 058-54065; john@hallahans.com) on Saturday (one in each direction; €10 return) from outside the Heritage Centre.
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NORTHERN COUNTY WATERFORD
Some of the most scenic parts of County Waterford are in the north around Ballymacarbry and in the Nire Valley, which runs between the Comeragh and Monavullagh Mountains. While not as rugged as the west of Ireland, with which it shares the same 370-million-year-old red sandstone, this mountain scenery has a stark beauty and doesn’t attract much tourist traffic. It’s also a great area to catch traditional music and dancing.
Sights & Activities
Rolling hills and woodland stuffed with megalithic remains make the county’s north a superb area for walkers. The Comeragh Mountains, where there are ridges to trace and loughs to circle, are named after their many coums (valleys, often of glacial origin). Coumshingaun and Coum Iarthair – next to Crotty’s Lough, and named after an outlaw who lay low in a cave there – are some of Ireland’s finest.
Stop for a pint and panino in Melody’s Nire View ( 052-36169; Ballymacarbry), where the genial folk have info on local walks and activities.
Otherwise make sure you’re around for the Nire Valley Walking Festival ( 052 36134), which takes place on the second weekend in October, with guided walks for all and traditional music in the pubs.
The East Munster Way walking trail Click here covers some 70km between Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary and the northern slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains. Access is at Fourmilewater, about 10km northwest of Ballymacarbry.
From March to September, the Rivers Nire and Suir are great for fishing. Permits (from €30 per day) can be arranged through Hanora’s Cottage or the fly-fishing centre ( 052-36765; www.flyfishingireland.com; Clonanav, Ballymacarbry), which also has a school and guesthouse, and leads guided trips.
Sleeping
Powers the Pot ( 052-23085; www.powersthepot.net; Harney’s Cross; campsites €15; May-Sep) An intimate little camping ground run by archaeology and hiking buff Niall. Filling meals are served in the thatched bar (mains €10 to €15), which has great acoustics for musicians to jam around the peat fire. It’s in the hills 9km southeast of Clonmel in county Tipperary, signposted from the road to Rathgormuck and