Tipperary farmhouse B and B in Ireland
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
At Kilmaneen Farmhouse we have always endeavoured to protect & enhance our environment. We are members of R.E.P.S (the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme).This scheme was set up by the European Union to encourage farmers to farm less intensively and in an environmentally friendly way.
In 2000 we won the Millennium Farm Landscape Award for the Munster region for a pollution control project. This was a once-off competition designed to encourage Irish farmers and rural dwellers to do something special for the environment to mark the turning of the century. In 2001 we won an award for Profitable and Environmentally Friendly Farming. This competition was run by the Royal Dublin Society.
At Kilmaneen we try to grow as much of our own fruit and vegetables as possible. In 2011 we had our own eating and cooking apples, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, herbs, carrots, parsnips, runner beans, red cabbage, green cabbage, courgettes, butternut squash, beetroot, peas, onions etc.. We use the vegetable and fruit of the season for guests for breakfast and dinner.
Good animal husbandry is very important to us at Kilmaneen where animals are treated with care and concern. Guests can observe the cattle grazing happily in the fields.
Community
We are actively involved, on a voluntary non-profit basis, in community based projects such as Knockmealdown Active which aims to develop & improve local access to a wide variety of activities in this area including walking, cycling and river-based activities such as kayaking. Kevin has had a major input in the development of the Looped Trails in the Knockmealdown mountains and he regularly leads walks for the local walking club. With my keen interest in art & craft I participate in many voluntary craft events such as Culture Night and I am working on a Plein Eire project which will bring artists into this beautiful area to paint in an open air festival. We have organised fund raising walks for charities such as South Tipperary Hospice for cancer care.
Although we are relatively self-sufficient in that we produce our own fruit , vegetables, eggs & beef we try to support our local food producers such as Baylough cheesemakers Richard & Anne Keating and also our local shopkeepers.
We urge our guests to dine in our local reastaurants in Ardfinnan & Clogheen and to visit the nearby heritage sites which are within a 15 mile/24km radius of Kilmaneen Farmhosue. We advise them on services that are avaialbe such as guided walks, local history tours, fishing gillies and traditional music sessions that are all a wonderful support to our tourism product in this area.
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