Healy's Fishing Lodge

Healy's Fishing Lodge Review

Set in a long, creeper-clad two-story building over 200 years old, Healy's overlooks the waters of Lough Conn, which calmly lap the reeds on its shoreline. Midway between Castlebar and Ballina (14 km south of the latter), this is a popular hideaway with serious anglers, but is also known for its good food and wine. Enthusiastic host John Dever meets and greets his guests, many of them old friends, in a hall adorned with numerous glass cases of stuffed game fish, pheasant, and even a mink. The lounge bar has been converted into an informal restaurant with a heart-stopping lake view, while fishermen can still swap tall tales in the traditional pub. Guest rooms are small and low-ceilinged, more cottage-style than country house, with simple pine furniture; but they are impeccably clean, and all but three have that gorgeous lake view. A simple rural retreat, Healy's is located in Pontoon, which is not a village as such but a natural bridge between two large loughs—a great base for walking, golf, and, of course, fishing, miles away from the madding crowd.