Ballinkeele House
Ballymurn, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
Tel: 053 38105
Fax: 053 38468
Conveniently located about halfway between Wexford and Enniscorthy,
Ballinkeele House is an imposing country mansion built in 1840 and
the ancestral home of the Maher family. The house stands at the heart of a 350-acre estate of
game-filled parkland, with fine stands of mature
trees, several lakes and ponds and a wonderfully
quiet and tranquil atmosphere. Guests enter by way of
a distinguished classical portico and find themselves in a comfortable, lived-in family home which
has been meticulously and beautifully maintained by John and Margaret Maher, the present owners.
The walls are hung with prints and family portraits, the furniture is original to the house, and the
spacious bedrooms offer an ideal combination of comfort and character.
This is a non-smoking house with five guest bedrooms, all with private bathrooms. Meals
at Ballinkeele House are definitely something to look forward to. Margaret is a member of Euro
Toques, the European guild of chefs, and her appetising cuisine makes the most of fresh local
ingredients, including produce from farm and garden. A generous breakfast is included in the tariff and dinner
at 7.30pm is available every evening if booked before noon. A popular activity at Ballinkeele is a game
of croquet on the lawn and if you want to explore the surroundings bicycles and Wellingtons are
supplied. Fishing, riding and a choice of no fewer than six golf courses are all within easy reach. Other places
of interest include the superb sandy beach at Curracloe which served as a Normandy beach in
Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. The county town of Wexford, "one of the most atmospheric towns
in Ireland", is just a few minutes down the road. Worth visiting at any time of the year, Wexford is at
its most vibrant during the world-famous Wexford Opera Festival, held every year in October.
