Our Home
Our home is situated within the very picturesque heritage village of Ballina, County Tipperary.
Our home contains the following accommodation:
Ground Floor- sitting room, family / TV room, formal dining room, hall, kitchen / dining area, utility room, toilet.
First Floor- 1 double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, 1 double bedroom, 1 large twin room, bathroom.
Second Floor- 1 double bedroom and 1 single room with adjoining toilet
* Cot and Child Seat available on request.
Our Car
We offer a 2013 Skoda Fabia
We also have a baby car seat (suitable up to 3 years old) and child car seat (suitable for child up to 6 years of age).
Our Village
Situated on the banks of the River Shannon, the twin villages of Ballina and Killaloe amongst one of Ireland's most picturesque attractions and are linked by a 13 arch bridge, which links not only the two towns but also the counties of Tipperary and Clare. Killaoe was in fact the capital of Ireland in 1014 under the control of the High King Brian Boru. The village of Ballina, (pop. 1200) County Tipperary, is located in the 'mid-west' of Ireland, just 35 minutes from Shannon International Airport and 25 minutes from Limerick, Ireland's third largest city.
Killaloe, on the left bank, in County Clare is a town in the East of the county and contains a network of charming narrow streets, flanked by old shops and houses, that climb up the steep hillside and look down over the 13th century cathedral. The old canal banks, disused railway line and narrow streets and footpaths of the old town make the twin towns a most delightful place to wander through Killaloe (Irish: Cill Dalua meaning Dalua's church). Killaloe was the birthplace of Ireland's famous High King, Brian Boru. He ruled from Kincora, which is believed to have been in modern day Killaloe.
The buildings of Ballina, in North Tipperary line the roadway that runs parallel to the river. The high ground is dominated by the The Lakeside Hotel. Below it, one of the many first-class pubs in the town stands by the old quayside. Just upstream, a new marina caters for the hundreds of leisure craft that make Killaloe/Ballina one of the best centres for water activities. The village is on the south end of Lough Derg, while the settlement spreads across the River Shannon, with the County Tipperary side known as Ballina. The surrounding area is popular for hill-walking.
Both villages and area have all the amenities that you would expect to find in an Irish village, with a range of boutiques, wellness centres, historical sites, supermarket(s) [Aldi and SuperValu], hardware, chemist, dry cleaners, petrol stations, florist, fishing tackle shop, and much more besides.
Activities include swimming (in an inland "EU Blue Flag" beach in Ballycuggaran), boat hire / angling, lake cruises, hill walking, picturesque viewing points and picnic areas.
For golf lovers, numerous course are available nearby. (Ireland offers more golf courses per-capita then any other country in the European Union and our house is situated near many fine courses including Dromoland Castle, Trump International - Doonbeg and Adare Manor in Limerick to name but a few.)
If you like to dine out, then Ballina won't disappoint. The village boasts a varied selection of places to eat, from a hotel, a Chinese restaurant that also serves takeaway, a fine Italian restaurant, a chip shop, an Indian takeaway and many fine restaurants. And of course there's plenty of pubs to have a quiet 'pint', or join in a sing-song if you so wish or learn a few steps of irish dancing in the Anchor Pub in Killaloe. Also located nearby is 'Larkin's', a world famous traditional-Irish music pub.
Small children won't be disappointed either, as Ballina has a lovely outdoor heated community swimming pool and most recently opened a new children's playground.
Lough Derg is the largest lake on the River Shannon and with 32,000 acres of spectacular waterway it is ideal for all types of watersports.
Many communities hold festivals and events during the year, which give a great opportunity to capture the unique mood of the area and to join in the fun and celebrations.
Previous International Exchanges
Nantes, France - 2002
Lucerne, Switzerland - 2003
Biarritz / Bayonne, France - 2004
Sete, France - 2005
Chiemsee, Germany - 2006
East Hampton, New York, USA - 2007
Krakow, Poland - 2008
Madrid, Spain - 2009
Huelva, Spain - 2010
Wassenaar, Holland - 2011
Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy - 2012
Salobrena, Spain 2013
Punta Umbria, Spain - 2014
Berlin, Germany - 2015
Palma, Mallorca, Spain - 2016
Radolfzell, Germany -2018
Montpellier, France 2019
??????????????? - 2024
Previous Weekend Exchanges
Dublin, Ireland - 2009
Kilmore, Co. Wexford, Ireland - 2014
Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland - 2019
London, UK - 2022
Dublin, Ireland - 2023
London, UK - 2024
Open to Weekend Exchanges (IE / UK / EU)