We had a family reunion here in November, 4 couples and 5 children from 16-6.
The House was fantastic, I have stayed in some manor houses before and found them to be a little dark and dusty but there was something about the layout and proportions of the rooms here that I found very pleasing. The adults rooms were big and bright with fantastic views over the valley, the towels were fluffy and the cotton sheets were crisp. The location was great for touring and the children loved the gardens.

Over the last five years I must have stayed at Farran House at least 10 times. My husband's company has an office in Cork and he often stays at Farran House, sometimes I accompany him on those business trips and also last June we had a wonderful weekend when took 8 of our friends there to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday. Over that time I have got to know Patricia and John, they are a little eccentric but they are great fun and I have never witnessed them showing anything less than courtesy and consideration to their guests. In fact the common feeling amongst everyone I have met there has been 'wow, we are so lucky to have found this place'

How anyone could not find John and Patricia gracious hosts is beyond me. I have had the great fortune of staying at Farran House on four occasions now--once in 2003, when our party of 13 booked the entire house, once in 2004, when my daughter and I visited; and twice last summer (2006), when my son and I were exploring Counties Cork and Kerry. My experience has been one of being welcomed, with tea and biscuits upon arrival and a chat with either John or Patricia; fabulous rooms; the run of the house and grounds; lovely breakfasts and splendid dinners. After my son and I made our first stop of several days last summer and were going to travel elsewhere for a few days, Patricia offered to let us keep our extra gear in the bedroom so we could move about more freely during our travels down to Bantry and out to the Dingle Peninsula. I hope to visit many more times in the future--and encourage others to do the same.

I agree with the other reviewers about the beauty of Farran House and surrounds however the experience of staying there was far from pleasant. The main problem was that it felt like staying in someones home as unwanted guests, we felt like we were imposing. Our inclination was to tip toe about the place and whisper, our impression that these people are doing this out of necessity and really don't like having guests and who could blame them! If it was mine i wouldn't want to share it with anyone either! We can't imagine how anyone could have a nice time staying here, it was quite an unnerving experience. We would never stay here again. If you don't mind the idea of picking a house at random and deciding to stay there whether the owners want you there or not then go for it otherwise steer well clear!