I came across the Eclipse Equestrian & Activity Centre while I was searching for somewhere to holiday in Ireland for a week in July. I wanted to find a place that had activities that might suit our two teenage boys. Also, we wanted to bring our 3 dogs along with us too. A tall order, but the Eclipse came up trumps.
From the moment we arrived, the owners, Athos and Anita made us feel so welcome. We were concerned that our dogs would bark and create a nuisance for our neighbours, if the dogs stayed in the kennel and run provided for them in the back garden of our holiday home. When we said this to Athos, he immediately showed us a secure shed and large fenced off area in another part of the grounds that worked out perfectly as a base for the dogs. At the time this shed and fenced off area were home to Athos’s Family's turkey! Athos told us that the turkey had been planned for the Christmas dinner but had managed to survive as he preferred lamb! Anyway, the sight of Athos tucking the turkey under his arm to bring it to another location for the week still makes me crack up laughing!
There was a summer camp at the Eclipse during our stay. We planned for the boys to attend on maybe one or two days. They went to camp on the Monday and loved it so much they ended up going for the whole week. We were amazed, as they don't usually get involved in on-site activities much when we stay in camp sites in France etc. There was so much for them to do at the Eclipse- trekking with the horses in the mornings, raft building, archery, orienteering etc. The boys had heard about the quad surfing from other teenagers who were on their third or fourth stay at the Centre, so they couldn't wait to give it a go. Athos, who has a great sense of humour by the way, apparently likes to wait for the wettest, muckiest day to do the quad surfing which happened to be Wednesday when we were there. It was one of the highlights of the week for the boys.
Athos was also very keen to know what the boys' interests were. When we mentioned football, he included it in the camp activities. Also, in the evenings, our lads would go outside to kick the ball around and it wasn't long before kids of all ages staying in the other holiday homes materialised for a game. That kept them all entertained.
We, un-expectantly, ended up having Monday to Friday daytimes to ourselves. We toured around the Ring of Kerry, visited Muckross House & Gardens and enjoyed some of the other wonderful places to visit in the area. Then in the evenings we all had loads to talk about over dinner, as we weren't 'stuck with' each other all day. After a week, we felt we were only scratching the surface of all that there is to do here.
The five holiday homes at the Eclipse are set in a nice horseshoe-shaped terrace. They are modern, well equipped, tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean. The rooms are spacious and bright with lovely large windows in the kitchen/diner and in the living room. There were two bathrooms - one upstairs and one downstairs - consisting of shower cubicle, sink and toilet which was very handy.
The complex is set in a really beautiful location with its own lake and with the river running alongside. We saw some people fishing at the lake. I can’t say if they caught anything, but the setting was really quiet and peaceful, so I’m sure they enjoyed the experience.
The nearest town is Kenmare which has an abundance of pubs doing bar food and some award-winning restaurants. A number of the pubs had live music nightly here too. The nearest village is Sneem which also had some nice places to eat and live music. Both are a drive away but worth visiting.
Within walking distance of the Eclipse is the Blackwater Tavern. This is a very friendly local which looked like it had just been completely modernised and redecorated to a very high standard. It still managed to maintain a nice atmosphere. The owner was really friendly and even came out to say hello when we sat outside on one of the days (in the sun!!) for a beer with our 3 dogs in tow, after we had been out for a long day's hike in the local vicinity. On Friday nights it hosts live music from about 10.30pm onwards. On the night we were there, there was a large group of locals in attendance who were up dancing and having the craic from the time the band got started. The Blackwater Tavern also has a shop and newsagents attached, so you can pick up any essentials you might need until late at night.
I'm probably leaving out loads of things I could recommend about the Eclipse, but one thing I would finally like to mention is that Athos, Anita and their staff have such a great sense of humour and are really generous with their time. They are totally professional but still manage to make you feel a part of everything during your stay with them.
We’ll be back!
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