The Old Inn

The Old Inn Review

Set in the village of Crawfordsburn, this 1614 coach inn, reputedly Ireland's oldest, certainly looks the part: it's pure 17th-century with a sculpted thatch roof, half doors, and leaded-glass windows and, as it was near one of the leading cross-channel ports linking Ireland and England, the coach always stopped here, often bearing visitors with names such as Swift, Tennyson, Thackeray, Dickens, and Trollope. Some of the finest bedrooms have 17th-century-style woodwork, sitting rooms, and faux-Jacobean beds, while public salons offer beam ceilings and roaring log fires. During 2010 the inn underwent a £3 million restoration with the opening of the new Lewis Restaurant (named after the Belfast-born writer and creator of Narnia C. S. Lewis). Bespoke Bampton-designed chairs and woven carpets in plush colors create the perfect dining experience and the food is as reliable as ever. You can tuck into Finnebrogue venison with sweet-potato puree, Portavogie scallops, crispy pork belly or daube of Irish lamb. Also savor the delicious setting of flocked curtains, English wood panels, sculpted portrait medallions, and a soaring coved ceiling. Over the centuries, large portions of the inn were rebuilt, and the East Wing is a completely modern take on Irish Georgian style.