Conall and Barbara fell in love with Connemara in the early 1980s and have rented houses for family holidays in the area most years since then. They started looking for a holiday home over 5 years ago and when they were about to give up, they were introduced to Garraunbaun Lodge by some local friends. They immediately fell in love with it and embarked upon a journey to make it the best house for a real Connemara experience for their future guests.
About Us - Elegant Ireland Lettings
Welcome to Garraunbaun Lodge - Elegant Ireland Lettings Ireland
How It Started
Story Behind Garraunbaun
The Lodge was originally the stables and servant quarters to the “big house”, Garraunbaun House. It was lovingly restored in the 60s, and at one stage was owned by the American comedian and Emmy award winner Michael O’ Donoghue https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/new-to-market/reservoir-digs-clifden-fishing-lodge-where-quentin-tarantino-stayed-for-800k-1.3250984. One of his guests at this fishing lodge was the famed director Quentin Tarantino just prior to the release of his movie Pulp Fiction.
Our History
It was later owned by a German couple who set about on more restoration which included the installation of parquet floors and beautiful tiles in the bathrooms. The biggest impact this couple made was in the outside landscaping, There is a tiered walled garden adjacent to the back entrances and extensive lawns at the front and the back of the lodge. The lawn at the back overlooks Garraunbaun Lough, the lake from which the property takes its name. There are various interpretations of the meaning of this Irish word, baun certainly means white and garraun is said to be an old Gaelic name for a horse, so White Horse.
The previous owners to the current owners were a couple from Northern Ireland. The wife is an artist and an interior designer, and she decorated the rooms tastefully and furnished them with antiques, most of which are still there today.
Where are we now
This 19th century building has been decorated to the style of this era with a distinct fishing lodge feeling. It doesn’t have modern insulation, so the current owners first job was to make it cosy and warm. They installed multi-fuel burning stoves in the drawing room, the mezzanine bedroom which doubles as an alternative reception room with a large flat screen TV, and in the double bedroom which would easily accommodate an additional fold down bed. Even in the blusteriest winter evenings it is a delight to congregate around the wood burning stove in the fireplace and recant the stories and the adventures from the day. The current owners also brought two of the four bathrooms up to a luxury standard.
The accommodation in the lodge offers flexibility as there is a self-contained living room and sleeping area to one end of the property (excluding kitchen) and this is perfect if you want to escape the hustle and bustle from the main area of the house on an extended family holiday. Many guests will not wish to fill the house. Ideal number is eight people but options to comfortably fit ten.
The property is surrounded by beautiful gardens and lawns lovingly tended to by our local gardener Martin.
Over the years the Lavery family has enjoyed the many local attractions amid the stunning landscape, swimming in all weathers on the local beaches, golfing, visiting sites, the local hostelries and sampling the Atlantic seafood most especially the lobster. It is our aim to give our guests a similar experience in our home. We believe that holidays should be holidays, not be harder work than being at home. Our objective is to offer our guests the perfect escape whatever the weather. There is a road running the length of the west coast of Ireland called the Wild Atlantic Way. Connemara is probably the wildest and most beautiful part of the way. The actor Peter O’Toole whiled away his last couple of decades in the area and claimed this was where his real home was. We want you to find a piece of this.
