Our home is very much in the county side yet conveniently located as the perfect base for exploring the wild Atlantic coastline, the kaarst Burren landscape, the vibrant towns like Galway, Ennis and Limerick and some of the most well-known (and less well known) historic castles that pepper the Irish landscape. The area around us is tranquil and safe with friendly neighbours and lots of opportunities for scenic, romantic or fun-filled walks (or hiking for those with more energy). A car is a big help and you are welcome to use ours. However Gort is only 7km away and there are regular bus and train connections to Galway, Ennis and Limerick from here. Gort offers everything you need – supermarkets, cafes, pubs (with and without traditional music), restaurants, pharmacies and doctors, a library, a playground, golf course etc. Ennis is a 20 minute drive and has a swimming pool, a cinema, theatre, indoor playgrounds (useful for rainy days) and some unique little shops. Galway and Limerick cities are both about 40 minutes drive and offer theatre, cinema, museums, music and culture. The sea is about 20 minutes drive and there are some beautiful beaches along the scenic coastline. The Cliffs of Moher are about an hours drive, Shannon airport is 40 minutes drive, Dublin city is just over 2 hours away. We have plenty of guide books and maps to ensure that you can maximise your stay.
Our house was built in 2010 and so has many modern features. However there are some aspects that are not as finished as we would like them to be. We have a huge garden with a large pond (water level very low in the summer as it is a natural pond), but much of the garden is still not developed. As you can see from the photographs though, the children are well catered for outdoors and there are tables and chairs for evening barbeques or lunch-time picnics. There is also a freestanding parasol and two lounge chairs. We have a little inflatable paddling pool, a badminton set, some children's bikes, two adult bikes (one with a baby seat), a sand pit and of course a large trampoline and play gym.
We have four bedrooms with adult sized beds (can sleep 6), however the house can sleep many more for anyone who is happy to sleep on a mattress on the floor. One bedroom is en-suite and there is a bathroom upstairs and a shower and toilet downstairs. We have one TV, a good selection of DVDs and European satellite. We also have board games and plenty of books both in English and German for grown-ups and children. There is a good sized playroom with lots and lots of toys for varying age groups. Our house gets fantastic light and the kitchen area, where we spend most of our time, is light filled for most of the day.
We can speak both English and German. We have exchanged in Ireland and in Germany and we promise that we would treat your home with the same respect we treat our own. We are looking for exchange partners during July or August 2017 and are open for exchanges within Ireland during school holidays.