I am still dreaming about my suite in the Hotel Minella in Clonmel Ireland, County Tipperary. Wow! It just blew me away. The hotel’s lobby and restaurants are in the neoclassical mansion called Minella. The property was built in 1863, by the Malcomson’s, a Quaker family. They were regarded as the most enterprising entrepreneurs of their time.
In 1961, Minella in Clonmel Co Tipperary was purchased and refurbished by Jack and Babs Nallen. Now, the Tipperary Hotel Minella has undergone extensive redevelopment and constant refurbishment. Hotel Minella is now managed by John and Elizabeth Nallen Bowen, siblings of Jack and Babs. I met and dined with Elizabeth Nallen Bowen in the Minella Hotel. She is very passionate about Hotel Minella and horse racing. You can see the families many horse racing trophies around the hotel. Learn more about the history of the property here.
Hotel Minella Rooms
My Hotel Minella room made me feel like a princess. When you walk in you enter the foyer with a half bathroom. Then, as you proceed into the room, you enter a living room with a view of the River Suir and the breathtaking Hotel Minella Gardens. To the right, there is a large bedroom with a luxurious king bed. Off the bedroom is a large modern balcony with an amazing view of the original Minella Neoclassic Mansion, the Hotel Minella Gardens, and the River Suir.
Tipperary Food Producers
One of my favorite parts of the visit to Tipperary Ireland was that most of the food you are eating is locally sourced. We had the privilege of touring some of the Tipperary Food Producer’s Farms. At Hotel Minella in County Tipperary, you are able to try the delightful foods from the local producers. Learn more about all the Tipperary Food Producers on their website here.
You can savor the local cuisine at the Tipperary breakfast at Hotel Minella including local producers like: The Butchers Daughters Sausages, Comseky Yoghurts, Hickeys Breads, Ayle Farm Preserves, and Crossogue Preserves. It meant so much to me to be eating from the local producers and it made me long for more of this in the United States. We have a ton of rich like Ireland and it does not make sense to me why we cannot do this too. I included the Hotel Minella in the list of the Top 10 Restaurants in Ireland Ancient East.
You can learn more about the Tipperary Food Producers here on their website and by following them on your favorite social media: Twitter @tippfood and on Facebook here.
Galtee Honey Farm Tipperary Ireland
During our stay in County Tipperary, we visited the Galtee Honey Farm in Burncourt, Tipperary. The Galtee Honey Farm is run by the Mac Giolla Codas, a well-known beekeeping family in Ireland. Micheál and Aoife are very nice and extremely knowledgeable about their craft of beekeeping and they are both certified lecturers in beekeeping.
The Galtee Honey has won awards for its taste and it is easy to see why – it is extremely flavorful and makes you want to find even more reasons to use local honey.You can follow Galtee Honey Farm on their website, on Twitter @GalteeHoney, and on their Facebook page.
The Apple Farm of Tipperary
This amazing farm called sweetly ‘The Apple Farm’. This Tipperary apple farm is located in Southern Ireland in county Tipperary. Apples have been grown in this area for hundreds of years. They grow all kinds of apples as well as pears, plums, sweet cherries, strawberries, and raspberries.
At the onsite farm store, you can purchase, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, sparkling apple juice, and many more apple products. You can even order their bottle products online here. You can learn more about The Apple Farm here on their website and by following them on your favorite social media: Twitter @theapplefarmer, on Instagram @IrishAppleFarm, and on Facebook at The Irish Apple Farm.
Things to Do in Tipperary Ireland
The Tipperary 10 Walks
The Tipperary 10 Walks are a series of ten walks in South Tipperary in Ireland’s Ancient East. You can experience Southern Ireland by walking along river paths, mountain ranges, and forest tracks. You will discover bogs, butterflies, and castles and even walk in the footsteps of Ireland’s historic figures of St. Patrick and King Henry II. Learn more about the Tipperary Walks here on The Celtic Times.
One of the Tipperary 10 Walks is in Clonmel Ireland called the Dun Ui Faolain Loop. Learn more about this loop and the rest of the walk here on the Discover Ireland website.
Tipperary Gardens
County Tipperary has several beautiful gardens to experience during your stay in Ireland’s Ancient East. Killurney Garden is near Clonmel Ireland near the Hotel Minella. It is set on 1 hectare of land in an idyllic setting at the foot of Slievenamon. It is a mature garden that includes rare trees and shrubs, extensive herbaceous borders, a scree bed, heather bed, rolling lawns and the ruins of a 16th-century church. A mountain stream fills a large pond and flows away between banks, which feature water-loving plants and a collection of exotic ferns.
The garden is open during the annual Garden Trail Weekend and by appointment. You can learn more about the garden in Clonmel, Ireland and all the other Tipperary Gardens.
Mitchelstown Caves
The Mitchelstown Caves are in Tipperary not far from the hotel. You can take a guided tour underground to see the caverns. Learn more about the caves here. The website notes to bring a picnic along and enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the Cork and Tipperary Countryside and the highest inland mountain range in Ireland the Galtee Mountains before your descend underground. P.S. The Galtee Mountains is where the hives from the Galtee Honey Farm are located. Maybe you catch a view of the bees!
Cahir Castle
Cahir Castle is one Ireland’s Ancient East’s largest and well-preserved castles. It is in Cahir, a romantic and charming small town along the River Suir. The town was a stronghold of the Butler family and remained under the ownership of the Butlers until 1961. A visit is a must. The castle has featured in many films and TV programmes, including Excalibur and The Tudors television series. Learn more about it here.
Club Minella
During your stay at the hotel in Clonmel, you must check out Club Minella. The Club Minella has a spacious gymnasium or participate in one of our many aerobics or toning classes, or even just relax in the outdoor hot-tub overlooking the River Suir. They have massages and a range of treatments are available by appointment.
Club Minella also has award-winning 20-meter deck level swimming pool, a separate children’s pool area, turbo feature pool underwater loungers, bubble seats and geysers (volcano). Overlooking these excellent facilities is the Jacuzzi, Swedish Sauna, Turkish Steam Room, body power showers. Feel like a good workout? Try the all-weather tennis court, is situated next to Club Minella, and rackets can be provided.
Weather Clonmel
Since this was my very first visit to Ireland, I learned a lot about Ireland that most people that have never visited don’t know. I think that it is a common misconception that Ireland’s climate is extremely cold like the weather in England. This is the misconception that I had and everyone that I spoke to about my trip has as well. The Weather in Ireland is very consistent throughout all the seasons. It goes from the high 60s as a high in the summer to the mid-30s in the winter. There is no freezing weather in Clonmel or County Tipperary. For example, the January forecast is on average 48° / 37° F and in July 68° / 54°F.
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