The Old Rectory Patrick and Julie Curren
LMS13
INSPIRATION
EU flower holder for environmentally friendly accommodation. Heritage (Georgian- listed in 2005) building, over 200 years old, recently restored by the Curren family.
Patrick Curren was bought up near this building and remembers playing in the dilapidated old house as a child. Hay used to be stored in the rooms and everything was deteriorating. It holds many memories for him and when the chance to renovate it to its former glory happened he and his wife Julie embarked on a long journey.
The Old Rectory Bed and Breakfast indulges our guests in the heritage and culture of Ireland, provides you with the relaxation so needed in the fast paced world we live in today and gives you the opportunity to meet the faces of today's Ireland. The Old Rectory Bed and Breakfast has been home to the Curran family for three generations and accommodation providers for over thirty years. It is a listed Georgian home, lovingly restored with lots of antiques throughout the house and in our en-suite bedrooms. Close to two hundred years old, its location shows that people throughout history were conscious of being environmentally friendly. However, back then it was more of necessity with the commonly used rooms of the house availing of the late morning and afternoon sun. These aspects also have the added advantage of beautiful views overlooking Fenagh Lake. We are proud to continue the environmental awareness tradition by being one of the first Bed and Breakfasts in Ireland to receive the EU Flower symbol. We run our Bed and Breakfast establishment in an environmentally friendly way and encourage our guests to participate in this ethos.
TYPE OF HOUSE
Large stately home and out buildings. Four main outbuildings, one currently restored and being used to rent out, others under restoration process.
POINT OF INTEREST
ECO ELEMENTS
EU Flower for the accommodation
Solar panels
Faithfull restoration of old building. Good use of an existing building.
Building’s windows originally designed for maximum solar gain.
CREATIVE ELEMENTS
Turned a derelict heritage building into beautifully restored Georgian listed accommodation.
ARCHITECT/DESIGN BY
Original architect unknown.
BUILDER
Patrick and Julie did a lot of the work with Julie’s brother Kevin Callaghan.
MATERIALS
Foundations | Original stone |
Walls | Original stone |
Roof | Original slates |
Finishings | Some antiques – Irish timber |
HEAT SOURCE
Oil boiler for heating and Solar panels for hot water. Old building very hard to heat. Chimneys send the heat up them, make them useless if trying to heat the whole house. The family live downstairs in the winter with oil fuelled radiators.
WATER SOURCE
Mains
WASTE
Treatment centre
GARDEN
34 hectares of pasture and 55 hectares of forestry – larch, Norway, sitka spruce planed 15 years ago.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Energy Source: Electricity from Airtricity
Cost: Ongoing / never ending
Time Scale: Main restoration over years. On going work on out buildings
Satisfaction Rating: ‘can’t wait to move into a small modern house’ Julie. Up keep of house is huge, trying to keep warm is very hard work. They do it for the children, they love living there.
Patrick has happy memories of the building from his childhood and is pleased to have recreated that for his kids.
The reality is that old buildings are not essentially eco-friendly in terms of how we live now. To heat to a temperature that we would be happy with is unsustainable, financially and ecologically.
Proud to have restored a part of Irish Heritage
More from their website:
The bedrooms at The Old Rectory Bed and Breakfast enjoy spectacular views of Fenagh
Lake and the magnificent mature trees on our farm. Rooms are en-suite with televisions and the Bed and Breakfast has a beautiful sitting room for the guests to relax or read and avail of the beautiful views from the room.
Guests can enjoy Canadian canoes around the lake and bikes available for hire. Then laze in the sauna and enjoy some time in the bubbling hot tub, while enjoying Fenagh Abbey and Lake.
• Georgian listed home, lovingly restored with an abundance of antiques.
• Traditional Irish family run Bed and Breakfast.
• Close to two hundred years old, all rooms with bright and sunny aspects.
• Rooms en-suite with televisions.
• Stunning views overlooking Fenagh Lake.
• Environmentally friendly ethos; holders of the EU Flower symbol.
• Ideally located to explore the heritage of rural Ireland.
• Hot tub overlooking Fenagh Lake and Fenagh Abbey to sit, unwind and reflect on your day