Wherever I lay my head
THE aroma of fresh baking, two adorable dogs and a personalised touch to the daily breakfast are some of the ingredients that have made one particular B&B in Wexford Town a very special and unique experience for the discerning visitor.
Caitríona Ní Chatháin has brought her friendly Mayo/ Clare genes, her grá for the Irish language and music and experience of working in the hospitality sector in the US to bear at Cuasnóg Guest House, which she has been running for 15 years. So much so, that 50pc of her visitors are repeat ones.
“The house has kept the integrity of its 1929 character despite progressive improvements in its value,” she says.
Ní Chatháin also plays her role in reducing her carbon footprint, with a plethora of suppliers on her doorstep such as nitrate-free rashers from Pat O’Neill Foods, sausages from the award-winning Furlong Butchers and organic, free-range eggs used in her scones, muffins and pancakes.
Her foxhound and beagle/collie are also a welcoming feature of her B&B for visitors. “Every dog lover melts at the rare beauty of my foxhound. My dogs are confined to the back of the house with a side and back garden and patio.”
You call tell from talking to Ní Chatháin that she is oozing with energy for her industry. She does say, however, that if people want to set up a B&B, it’s a lifestyle choice.
“You are not in the market for the money. To make your B&B work, it helps to have a personal approach.”
One of the downsides of the B&B trade, she says, is that sometimes it interferes with your personal life. On the upside, however, there is the opportunity to interact with engaging people all the time.
“I fed a descendant of Tolstoy’s who was visiting these parts once. My guests span the classes, from gracious lords and ladies who attend year in year out for the Wexford Festival Opera to sightseers.
“I once even got a postcard, written by a Swiss and an Austrian who happened to get chatting on the top of Mount Blanc — both of them had stayed here at different times!”
Ní Chatháin’s B&B is also included in Alastair Sawday’s Special Places To Stay guide, after past guests made recommendations about Cuasnóg, including a ballerina in the Wexford Festival Opera.
What makes this business worthwhile, says Ní Chatháin, is the diversity of her clientele.
Web link:
www.cuasnog.com
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- Carmel Doyle
