You’ll be seeing it on TV screens this autumn.

But if you want to be among the first guests to check into the luxurious guestrooms at Barnahown before it features in the latest series of RTÉ’s ‘At Your Service’, booking is now open.

The luxurious new low-impact four-bedroom Irish guesthouse near Mitchelstown in Co. Cork has opened its doors, offering Galtee mountain views, creature comforts aplenty, and access to loads of local wellness, adventure-based, and food-focused experiences.

Owner Ciara O’Brien is a Mitchelstown native who, after twenty years of working at home and abroad for large multinationals, left her most recent role with Google in 2023 to begin the sensitive renovation of the property in her hometown and launch her own business venture.

Photo: Kirsty Lyons

The farmhouse she, with the help of local craftspeople, has spent the last fourteen months lovingly restoring had been in the O’Keeffe family for five generations. Ciara is the first ‘outsider’ to have the privilege of living there and calling it home.

For hikers and ramblers, the sensitively renovated and lovingly-restored 1800s farmhouse provides the ideal base from which to discover the Munster Vales region, home to the Galtees – Ireland’s highest inland mountain range and one the country’s most diverse hiking landscapes, with almost 30 kilometres of picturesque walking trails to explore.

All four of Barnahown’s faithfully restored rooms – Cush, Lough Curra, Galtee Mor, and Temple Hill – are named after some of her favourite Galtees hikes.

Photo: Kirsty Lyons

Cush and Lough Curra are furnished with king-sized beds and come with their own en-suite bathroom, while those staying in Galtee Mor and Temple Hill have the added luxury of being able to enjoy the mountain views to the rear of the guesthouse from the comfort of super king-sized beds.

Low-impact ethos

The furniture across all four bedrooms is handmade by local craftspeople and all of the eco-friendly Irish-made toiletries found in Barnahown’s en suite bathrooms are refillable, with no single-use products provided.

An honesty bar is stocked with tipples from Ireland’s top artisan drinks producers including Valentia Island Vermouth, Five Farms’ Irish Cream Liqueur, and Wicklow Way Wines and when you rise the following morning, the breakfast menu showcases free-range eggs from Barnahown’s hens served alongside foods grown and produced within a 20 kilometre radius.

Dogs are welcome too and convenient outdoor showers allow you to immediately freshen up after a day full of adventures, with a separate area to hose down any dirty boots or bikes.

Later guests can relax in the solar-powered hot tub overlooking the hills and wildflower meadows – all from €300 for a two-night stay here.

“I would like guests staying here to experience the best of a true B&B; meeting the owner on arrival and sharing the story of the place with them, putting together bespoke itineraries for each individual based on their interests and my love of the local area, and wrapping up each day with specially curated food and drinks from my favourite local suppliers,” Ciara told us.

“Exploring new and less visited areas can sometimes be a challenge without the ‘well-trodden path’ to follow, so my goal is to help guests have a truly one-off experience and do it in a low-impact way that benefits the natural environment and the local community.”

The Barnahown journey from concept through to launch will feature in the latest series of RTÉ’s ‘At Your Service’ hosted by John and Francis Brennan when it airs this autumn.