Fodor's Expert Review Carrygerry Country House

Modest and gabled, this 1793 country house is 12 km (7 miles) and 8 km (5 miles) from Shannon Airport and is also a world apart, with views across the plains where horses calmly graze, as they have done for centuries, to the distant Shannon Estuary. It's a popular first- and last-night stopover with transatlantic passengers: you can see the airport's control tower, but you would never know the airport was so close, and you are not on the flight path. Owners Niall and Gillian Ennis have decorated the lounge and bar with a homey assortment of Victorian antiques and hunting prints, and books of local interest, with an open fire in the bar. The six bedrooms in the main house are the most elegant, some with four-poster beds, all with modest antiques. Simpler, less expensive rooms in the converted stables also have plenty of character. Most guests opt to watch the sensational sunsets from the award-winning Conservatory Restaurant, popular with Clare locals.