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Our House

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This is our home.

it is a very comfortable, somewhat quirky, home. It is a dormer bungalow, Downstairs is a comfortable sitting room, with two large sofas (each of which would comfortably sleep a tall person) the room has a regular TV, with cable, DVD player and computer with broadband. It also has an open fire, in the picture below, the stove has been removed (new picture to follow!)

The kitchen/dining room is an open plan area, a big table it seats 6, but it can seat 8 without too much squeezing, This is beside double doors that lead out to the garden. The kitchen is a good size with all the appliances you would expect, stove, dishwasher, washing machine, fridge etc. I am a keen cook, so you will find all of the spices and cooking equipment that you will need.

There are three other rooms down stairs. One a bathroom, with deep bathtub, although like most european houses the bathroom itself is not large. American exchange partners need to be aware (if you have never exchanged in europe before) that the houses and particularly the bathrooms are generally smaller than what is common in the US, Our house is considered a reasonably large one here.

One bedroom has a fourposter double bed and an ensuite shower/wc room. The other room I use as my craft room, this is a fairly small room, packed with craft supplies and craft books. (which makes it unsuitable for children due to dangers of craft knives, scissors etc) this room has space for a fold out single bed, if you need to sleep an additional person.

At the top of the stairs there is another bedroom, with sloping ceilings,room doubles up as our small library, and is open plan with a small (seperate) en suite shower/wc room.

Opening off this room (at the top of the stairs) is another bedroom which is nestled under the eaves, this also has sloping ceilings which gives the room a lovely cosy feeling, there is a big double bed in here too. The house comfortably sleeps 7, but if you wanted to use the sofas/fold out mattresses, you could sleep 9, as long as you are all good friends!

Our house is warm and cosy, we have plenty of books, wooden floors throughout (low allergy). We are situated in a quiet little road off the main road. There is plenty of parking and a small pond opposite the house. The back garden has a polytunnel, where I grow herbs/tomatoes etc, if you are a gardner and miss your own garden, you can have fun with mine as it is somewhat neglected. There are long term plans to remove the lawn and put down gravel and raised beds. However the garden is a haven for wildlife, we have countless birds, butterflies, dragonflies. We also have hedgehogs that sometimes come to steal the cat food at night, (the cat lives outside) At the bottom of the garden is a tiny stream. Beyond the garden is farmland/fields, which makes my house very peaceful and quiet. We love it and hope you would enjoy an exchange with us.

This is us by the way (at a wedding), I am a college lecturer, my daughter is 16, we are experienced exchangers and love to travel. We will take care of your home and feed any pets etc. We have two cats, but they live outside and never come into the house. They are friendly though and adore company if you like cats.

Mountshannon area

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Mountshannon is an exceptionally pretty village http://www.mountshannon.com/ It is situated on the east side of one of the western counties of Ireland. County Clare, Mounshannon village is on the banks of lough derg which is the second largest lake in Ireland. The village is very popular with fishermen, boating enthusiasts and walkers. In the summer particularly the harbour is busy with boats pulling up to stay over night as they cruise and fish on the Lake and river Shannon. There is a separate area at the harbour which is safe for swimming and has lifeguards patrolling during the summer months. Boat and fishing equipment hire are available in the harbour.

The lake is a haven for wildlife, supporting a large population of water birds, swans etc. Some of the rivers that feed the lake have otters, but you have to be very lucky to catch a glimpse of them!
There are a number pubs in the village that have regular music sessions in the village and many more in the surrounding areas.East clare is famed for the quality of its traditional Irish music.

The village is small but very friendly and the residents take great pride in the fact that it regularly scores high marks in the tidy towns competition, a feature of the village is the beautiful park, which runs down to the lake, the park also has a maze and a turf labryinth.

Mountshannon is between mountains and the lake and so there are extensive walking trails around the surrounding areas, through the mountains. Nearby there is a small woodland backing on to a pitch and putt/9 hole golf course that is also very pretty to walk in. In spring time when the bluebells form a carpet under the trees it is truly beautiful.

Just offshore of the village is Inishcealtra, or Holy Island an ancient monastic settlement. there are regular boat trips from the village to the island to see the ruins and the round tower.

In the surrounding areas there is an 18 hole golf course (East Clare Golf Club) Horse riding, Boat hire etc.

Services: just around the corner from our house is a petrol station/shop, where you can buy all of the food essentials. About 5 minutes walk away is another shop/coffee shop where you can enjoy lake views over a coffee and freshly baked bread. Within the village are two restaurants and a small hotel which also serves food. There is a typically irish country pub a hundred metres from our home, where you can sit outside in a warm summers evening with a glass of wine and watch the world go past.

Mountshannon is a popular spot for people who wish to experience the beauty of the Irish countryside, the friendliness of rural Ireland and the tranquillity and magic of the place.

further afield

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Apart from the local area around Mountshannon, County Clare is a very popular tourist destination, with high mountains, spectacular cliffs, beaches, and the world famous burren there is plenty to keep you entertained.
Bunratty Castle and folk park near Limerick is a very complete, furnished castle, which you can visit either during the day, or experience a medieval banquet in the evening, the folk park contains more than 20 buildings from various periods of Irish history, from small farmers cottages to poor fishermans huts, It is a great day out.

The spectacular Cliffs of Moher are a must, there is a visitors interpretive center that explains all about the cliffs, but nothing beats standing on top of a sheer cliff with hundreds of miles of ocean between you and the next land fall, You can also take boat trips near the base of the cliffs to really experience the power of the ocean.

Off shore from the cliffs are the aran Islands, a set of three small islands, where the Irish language is still spoken, the smallest Inis oir, is the setting for the TV show 'Fr. Ted's ' craggy island.

You can take a ferry from the small town of Doolin, to reach the aran islands, Doolin itself is renowned for traditional irish music playing in most of the pubs each night.

A visit to the west of Ireland is incomplete without trip to the truly awe-inspiring Burren. This is a huge limestone plateau, with caves and evidence of ancient settlement, with graves and Dolmens.

One of the most popular beaches on the Atlantic coast is Lahinch beach, famous for surfing, the water is clean, but cold! All this is just the local region. You have to remember that Ireland is a relatively small country and most places are within an easy few hours drive, close by are Limerick City and King Johns Castle, futher away is Killarney and the incomparable lakes. The wonderful ring of kerry, Cork city and its annual Jazz festival, Dublin, Galway etc etc. You will not lack for things to do and beautiful scenery to see,

GETTING HERE

Shannon airport is approx 45 minutes drive from our house, this is a regional airport that has good links to the USA and the rest of europe. Dublin airport is approx 2.5hours drive from here. You should remember that with many cheap flights with the budget airline www.ryanair.com Ireland can be a good base to explore other countries in europe.