Nesting Sparrows at Renvyle’s Family Suites

Renvyle House's Sparrow Family

There is a nest of young sparrows outside the Island Family Suites at the moment. Weren't they were very appropriate when choosing a venue to raise their young family?

We watched them for a time and tried our best to get some close up (amateur) photos so that you'd have a chance to see them too. They're facinating. The mother and father sparrow are over and back within a minute from each other to feed the four young sparrows. The young ones never seem to get full!

It's a full time job for both parents but as you'll see from the photos, the clutch of young sparrows appear to be doing really well.

photographs taken by Zoe Fitzgerald

VAT Reduction Passed On

The beach at Renvyle House Hotel, Connemara

We are delighted to be able pass on the new reduction in VAT which comes into play today, 1st July.

We will not have to compromise on our standards, the food will still be top-notch and the welcome as warm as ever. This will not affect any of the free activities put on this summer for hotel residents, nor will it affect the free use of on-site facilities which will also remain free to our guests.

We have super breaks in July and August and we have Great Summer Family Holidays with loads of free extras.

Here, the only stress is on relaxation

Renvyle House’s Breakfast Menu

We are launching our new breakfast menu later this month with some lovely new additions which have been prepared by Tim O'Sullivan and his Team in the kitchen.

You can preview the Renvyle House Breakfast Menu

photographs taken by Aoife Herriott

Summer holidays at Renvyle

Well, if the first couple of days of Summer are anything to go by, all the facilities (free to our guests by the way) will be used to their full extent. Here are some photographs taken yesterday in preparation for the June Bank Holiday weekend and the holidaymakers to come.

photographs taken by Zoe Fitzgerald

Bog Week 2011

Conamara Bog Week 2011

May 27th to Jne 6th in Letterfrack and the Renvyle Peninsula
"A Festival comprising of music, cycling, walking, dancing and a hint of madness!Conamara is probably the largest area of outstanding beauty in the whole of Ireland. It is a complex area and we will be attempting to create a warm, nonthreatening space in which people can somehow touch this magical landscape."

With great walks and talks held at Renvyle House Hotel. Hotel residents can join the guided walk for free:
Thursday 2nd June, 9pm at Renvyle House Hotel: 'New Discoveries in Conamara' – a talk by Michael Gibbons (free admission)

Friday 3rd June, 11am at Renvyle House Hotel: a guided walk with Michael Gibbons, archaeologist. €15.00 to non-residential guests

Click here for more information –> Conamara Bog Week 2011 Programme

A snippet from last year's Festival:

Irish Angler June 2011 reviews the Renvyle Hardy & Grey’s Weekend

Fly-fishing weekend at Renvyle House

A very comprehensive write up of the Hardy & Grey's weekend held in Renvyle in April 2011 in the June 2011 edition of the Irish Angler magazine;

To view it, please click on the link below.

Irish Angler Review of Renvyle's Hardy & Greys Fly Fishing Weekend

Photoshoot for new Website

Bread being prepared for the day

Yes, we will be renovating our website very soon. We hope it will be even easier for you the user to us, even moreso than the current one. Yesterday's excercise was to update our photographs with the updated bedrooms and of course Tim and his team's delicious food from breakfast through to dinner.

A busy morning and have to admit, I buckled at the warm chocolate pudding and once the photo was professionally taken I had a taste which led to a pretty clean plate!

Please find a gallery below. Keep in mind that these images are taken from my mobile phone so really don't do the food justice, but Aoife will have the real ones for us soon.

Renvyle House Fireplaces

Renvyle House Hotel Connemara, Arts & Crafts Fireplaces

This post is to explain somewhat, the architecture and design of the old house at Renvyle House. It is a country house, a low lying Lutynesque style which suits it rural coastal location (it is not a country manor as most of us might imagine). The house was rebuilt in the Arts and Crafts style after it had been burned down in the Irish Civil of the 1920′s. There are over 20 different orifinal fireplaces throughout the house which have been recorded in the Album below. You will also see from our old Brochures, one from the 1930′s (on this Blog) that the present owners have maintained the ethos of this building as much as possible.

Wikipedia describe the Arts & Crafts Movement as, (and here is where I get lazy, as I would not be able to put it much better!): "an international design movement that originated in England and flourished between 1880 and 1910, continuing its influence up to the 1930s. Instigated by the artist and writer William Morris (1834–1896) in the 1860s and inspired by the writings of John Ruskin (1819–1900), it had its earliest and fullest development in the British Isles but spread to Europe and North America as a reaction against the impoverished state of the decorative arts and the conditions under which they were produced.

The movement advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. It also proposed economic and social reform and has been seen as essentially anti-industrial."

There's plenty more information, but I think I might try to write it myself.

In the meantime, here are some of the many Arts and Crafts fireplaces in the public areas and bedrooms in the hotel (not all mind you). They are each unique, with a unique design, in fact fairly unique architecturally in Ireland.

Tim’s Fish Recipes

Tim of Renvyle House Hotel Fish Recipes

We ran a great promotion with Ali's Fish Shops in Galway, Barna and Oranmora last month. Tim had prepared 6 of his many fish recipes to give out over the six week promotion. There has been many requests for copies of these so…..without further ado…..we have out them on a pdf format for you.

Please click here –> TIM'S FISH RECIPES

Digital Photography Midweek Break