Roundstone village is a shelter in south Connemara, shielded from westerly winds by the hills that loom behind the village, with a calm landing for vessels in Roundstone Bay. Alexander Nimmo designed the harbour which was built between 1822 and 1825. The surrounding landscape looks like it has narrowly escaped from the maw of a glacier, whilst the shoreline is a scattering of small islands, so we can perhaps imagine it as the Venice of the West. “It is a strange region” wrote Tim Robinson in a little pamphlet the great cartographer published back in 1984 entitled Setting foot on the shores of Connemara. It’s a great title, and apt: arriving here feels like stepping ashore.
Nothing announces Within The Village, a set of rooms and lodgings for guests in the centre of Roundstone. Yes, there is a small copper sign over the third entrance door, but you have to get up close to read it. This quiet withholding is the perfect introduction to a destination that redefines luxury - what luxury is, what luxury means, what luxury feels like.
WTV is the work of three friends, Laura, Keith and Maria, who somehow created and managed the entire project of transforming what was the old Connolly’s Bar and B&B. There are five separate lodgings within the complex, and the names reveal the creators’ intentions: Lichen; Bracken; Bog Cotton; Sea; Kelp. By using local materials and with a colour palette of earth tones and marine hues drawn directly from the local landscape, the houses manage the impossible task of “bringing the outside inside.” The spirit of south Connemara seems to be in residence, expressed in wood, stone and tweed, supremely tactile, and utterly luxurious.
The luxurious tactility is amplified by the work of local craftspeople and artists, whose creations enable the function and define the form of the houses. You drink locally roasted Calendar coffee from a Roundstone Ceramics mug whilst enjoying the scones, freshly baked for the house by Anne and delivered each morning. The walls and recesses are hung with works by Dorothy Cross, Roisin Coyle and Cliodhna Prendergast, with the extraordinary nest baskets of Joe Hogan. Each surface – from Joshua Gabriel’s woodwork in the kitchens to Paddy O’Malley’s intricate countertops in the bathrooms to the Tweed Project throws that lie atop the Inish Living super luxurious bio-based bed sheets – has been seized as another chance to make an aesthetic statement.
Despite the pulverised landscape, and the fractal complexity of the shoreline with its biomass of seaweeds, staying in Connemara quickly becomes an aesthetic experience. The big skies, the quiet inlet waters around Rosmuc, Kilkeerin and Cashel, the iridescent blues all conspire together, so that you look out the window one morning and say to yourself, another Paul Henry morning. Paul Henry painted many landscapes of the West of Ireland, but something about his Connemara paintings in particular seems hard-wired into the Irish brain, and explains the high prices his works fetch at auction.
Within The Village, luxury self-catering accommodation is open all year. Click here to book.
Directory
Roundstone House Hotel
Authentic Hotel, Bar and Restaurant. Just the type of place you’d hope to find. Run by the Vaughan family. Head Chef Siobhan Vaughan is a diamond. All the locals eat here. Open summer season.
O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar and Restaurant
Famous institution, known for its chowder and great seafood cooking. Open all year, which is a gift to the community.
King’s Bar
Every village needs a classic pub, and this one belongs to Roundstone. The real deal. Sit outside in summer. Cosy up in winter.
Coffee Cottage
Surf-culture pierside cafe of your dreams, with great coffee, soup, sandwiches and light lunches.
Roundstone Ceramics
Hand crafted porcelain and stoneware from husband and wife team Séamus and Rosemarie. The beautiful cups, plates and bowls used in Within the Village come from just down the road in their studio, and good news, you can bring some home from the studio shop.
Coyles of Connemara
Proper Connemara Lamb (not faux), So-Dough Sourdough, home-made cake, locally grown vegetables, and a coffee shop. All this and much more in the front of the post office at Clifden. Alice Coyle understands what it takes to create a circular economy.
Provenance Interior
Enter this design interiors shop at your peril. You will want everything. Gorgeous natural furniture and ornaments. If you’ve been inspired by the interiors of Within The Village, you’ll love this store. Bring home a candle at the very least.
Connemara Hamper
Look out for King’s Crab Meat from Cleggan, just one of the fabulous local foods sold in this wonderful store. Connemara Hamper has been part of Clifden for many years. A lighthouse of goodness for the zone.
Connemara Smokehouse
Buy some of the glorious smoked fish from Connemara Smokehouse, before you leave, but – better again – visit their unforgettable shop and cafe hard by the pier at Ballyconneely.
Joyce’s Craft Shop
Don’t drive by this roadside craft shop and gallery at Recess, either on your way there, or your way back from Connemara. Specialising in Connemara marble, you can find all that the region has to offer, from baskets, to wool, to tweed, glass, wood work. An exceptional showcase for the region.
John and Sally were guests of Within The Village for the purpose of researching this article.
obsessed with joyce's craft shop!
You paint a beautiful picture