I can only recommend Temple House to everybody! This lovely personal, family run country house in the peaceful gardens on a lake is so romantic, utterly quiet and offers lovely bedrooms, old world style feeling, a pink sitting room with free WIFI and huge Irish breakfasts.
The evening entertainment of concerts, balls etc is SUPER and I look forward to the Viennese Gala Ball on 26th September 2009, where I shall gladly return!
www.templehouse.ie

...From the awe-inspiring drive through the gates of Temple House, past the guard-house - meandering along the drive through the lush pastoral setting, and our first-view of the Knights' Templar ruins on the property and of our Georgian Estate accommodations...to, our very cordial welcome from our hosts' daughter, Saffron, and, Darcy, Fudge, & Treacle; our hosts' wonderful and friendly dogs, and, most especially Roderick Perceval’s genuine care and concern for our comforts, and his trip-planning counseling/advice-recommendations, and his wife Helena's interests in her home-grown produce and her good humor...to….the Temple House's antiquities - furniture, carpets, paintings, chandeliers, collections, trophy-heads, curiosities, etc., gracing every room...to, our Traditional Irish Breakfast, our gourmet-chefs sumptuous dinners, the Honor Bar, the gardens, the lake, the expanse of rolling-lawns, oak trees, their sheep, etc., etc., etc., and, our proximity to the wonders of the Sligo & Donegal Areas - - - our stay at Temple House was a pleasure from beginning to end!

Temple House isn't a hotel, it's something better--it is that rare place that has something to please even the most diverse group of travelers, like ours. My father, my 14-year-old niece, and I, who didn't agree on that much during the rest of our trip, ALL loved Temple House. Roderick and Helena and their children were so welcoming, and the grounds are fabulous!! My father loved being able to just kick back, I had a great time going hiking on the grounds, and the 14-year-old hung around and relaxed too. We got a kick out of the four dogs, especially Darcy the Irish wolfhound puppy. The place seems a bit like a museum piece, so if you're one of those people who needs the "same as anywhere" type hotel, then Temple House isn't for you. However, if you like getting a bit of history or nature with your stay, not to mention a friendly host who can direct you to a great pub nearby, then you'll love it.

Just returned from a 'Sister's Trip' to Ireland and we voted Temple House as our favorite lodging! As a property with a large, old grey Georgian Manor House, with endless antiques & portraits...all kept within the same family for centuries...I expected a bit of upper-class 'stuffiness'. Here we were...after 2 hrs of horseback-riding, smelling of (you know what!)...disheveled & tired...driving through the main gate of a Country Manor House...onto the large, green expanse of pasture & lawn...well, even the sheep turned up their noses a little! Not so Proprietor/Host, Roderick Percival ~ he greeted us with a friendly smile, helped us up the grand stairway with our suitcases and installed us in the lovely 'Twins Room'. After the 'Best Shower in Ireland' and a good night's rest in clean sheets & comfortable beds, we met in the lovely, green dining room, where a delicious breakfast (several choices) was served buffet style...(of course in the beautiful old family silver)! We loved the sunset walk (a few mosquitoes), the history oozing out of the walls, and the fascinating Perceval ancestral portraits (I wanted to know all of their stories!). Overall, I think it's the personality of the owners which make a stay memorable, warm & friendly or the opposite. Roderick (Helena & Saffron too!) made us feel right at home so we could relax & get acquainted, but also feel free to wander & explore (within limits of course). It was great fun to pretend that Temple House was 'our grand ancestral home' for a few days! p.s. My sister did find ONE cobweb...but we were much too busy enjoying the Temple House 'experience' to let it bother us at all! (Photos added under 'ColoredBridges'...)