The Swiss Cottage at Cahir. And don't miss the castle and the Apple Farm.

 The Swiss Cottage at Cahir

Don't miss the castle and Apple Farm.

Perhaps the first thing to say about Cahir’s Swiss Cottage is that it is not Swiss at all, not even related! Apparently some local said the 1810 house reminded him or her of a Swiss chalet and the name stuck.

Bridge to the cottage

You will see a signpost for the cottage in the castle car park in the Tipperary town. In fact, there are two more or less parallel paths. The lower one, nearer the golf course and river, is also the Fairy Path, so keep your eyes open! The other is a little higher up and is paved. Both end up in the same place. Of course, you may drive to the cottage (by the Ardfinnan Road) but the 2 kilometre walk is a pleasant one by the banks of the Suir. 

The paths are signposted all the way. You keep the river on your right and cross when you come to a white bridge. The cottage (in the care of the OPW)  is built on a little height so there are some steps involved, not too many though.

A magic shed on the Fairy Path

It was built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler (an Earl whose family owned thousands of acres in the area), to a design by John Nash, a famous Regency architect. The Butlers had a townhouse in Cahir and this cottage was intended as a little country retreat where one could take a party for afternoon tea, maybe even more judging by the amount of beds there.

One of the beds is quite interesting and is termed a campaign bed. The campaign came from its original army use, a fold-up easily transportable bed for the officers, and led to the well known camp bed. None of the furniture is original but most is very close to it.

What is original though are some of the wallpaper panels which amazingly have survived for over 200 years. All the rooms are elegantly decorated with nature the main theme.

It has been beautifully restored and looks more like the original that it did in the middle of the previous century. No photography is allowed inside but it certainly makes a pretty picture on the outside.

By the way, the proper term for this type of structure is a cottage orné. According to Wikipedia, similar buildings exist at Burrenwood, Co. Down; Derrymore, Bessbrook, Newry, Co. Armagh (National Trust); and the Petit hameau de la Reine at Versailles.

Fishing is important around here!

There's a large town centre car park alongside Cahir Castle.
The castle is open to the public and worth a visit.

Geese were introduced to the castle and its environs in 2019.
They sleep as a group under the walls and are multiplying!

Wildflowers by the cottage path.

When in Cahir, be sure and visit the Apple Farm and
treat yourself to some of their delicious produce.

Lunch to Relish at Lava Rock in Cahir

Lunch to Relish at Lava Rock in Cahir

Dessert

Headed off to Tipp on a recent unplanned day-trip. Not the direct route; that would be too easy! First stop was Lismore, then on up through the spectacular Vee, down into Clogheen and over to Ardfinnan with its castle lording it over the Suir. Time now for lunch. But where? Lava Rock in Cahir.

Lava Rock’s on Castle Street (park down by the castle, which can also be visited) and has been gathering good reviews and awards since it opened four years ago. With the kitchen open to the main room of the restaurant, we could see the attention to detail and that showed too on the appetising plates. Lunch was very enjoyable and I’m sure that the evening meals would be even more so.

Choices aren't as expansive in the middle of the day but still they had plenty to offer. One section is called Express. From it you may order Soup of the Day and various sandwiches (Chicken Strip or Pulled Beef for example).

Burger

The main lunch menu has a few more substantial dishes including Fish and Chips, Roast Chicken Supreme, and Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Tortellini.

We went for the beef, the Slow Braised Beef Rib in my case. It came with baked potato mash and seasonal vegetables, very well cooked and full of attractive flavour, a delicious jus and a crunchy selection of crunchy vegetables (carrot, baby corns and sugar snaps).

CL’s pick was the Char-grilled Burger, packed with excellent beef in a brioche bun. Red cheddar cheese, burger sauce of course, lettuce and the outstanding roast beetroot slaw completed an attractive plateful. And in addition, the chunky house fries were delicious.

Beef

They don't have a bar here but you may bring your own wine. We asked for a cordial, maybe something like an Elderflower fizz. They didn’t have that nor did they have the Apple Farm’s outstanding sparkling apple juice but they did have their still apple juice and that too is a lovely drink at mid-day on a warm Wednesday. The nearby Apple Farm, by the way, would be our final visit on the way home and we left with a box full of drinks, jams, fruits and more. Read about that day-trip here.

But back to the lunch and the sweet finalé. I enjoyed my Baked Strawberry Alaska (with strawberry cream, marinated strawberries and lemon curd), soft and lush and an overall delight. 

CL’s Rhubarb Almond Tart was another well presented dessert (that attention to detail again) and  served with orange crème anglaise and vanilla ice cream, another sweet winner.

Lava Rock

This restaurant is just a few minutes off the motorway and you may also linger in the town. If you are early for lunch, why not visit the castle? Check my account here. And if you’d like to walk off those desserts afterwards, stroll down to the nearby and rather famous Swiss Cottage - read my short account here.

Lava Rock 

Castle Street

Cahir

Co. Tipperary

Call (052) 744 5359

THE APPLE FARM

THE APPLE FARM


Enjoyed some exceptional plum jam at lunchtime. Spread it out on some pieces of a sliced bloomer from ABC in the English Market and..Wow!!.


Bought the jam last week from the Apple Farm in Tipperary. Just brilliant. If you can’t find it in stock in Cork, drive up to Cahir. It is only up the road. Worth it! It is very easy to get to and something to do on a bad day.


The shop is on the edge of Con Trass’ fruit farm and is a few miles outside of Cahir on the main road to Clonmel. Of course, you may also buy online.


Con makes one of my all time favourite Irish drinks: Sparkling Apple Juice. They were actually bottling some of it as I visited.


Stocked up on that (plus one of Sparkling Apple and Blackcurrant Juice)  and also loads of the well known Karmine Apple Juice. Jars and jars of jam: apple, strawberry and that fabulous plum!


The apple harvest doesn’t begin until later this month and we were between strawberry pickings and there were none ready but should be there in abundance this week. But there were lots of those plums and we got a pack or two.


Soon we were on the road with two big boxes full of fruit drinks, jam and fruit. Apples have been grown in this area for hundreds of years, and since 1968, Con Trass has been planting more orchards to increase supply. Read all about this fascinating venture here. Every county should have at least one fruit farm like this. Maybe Con might start a chain!