We were in Italy earlier this year and stayed at a couple fantastic agriturismos. We are now contemplating a trip to Ireland and wondered if there might be something comprable in Ireland as we really enjoyed staying in the country on the working farms. Any suggestions would be great. Our planning is still in its infancy so we don't have any restrictions on location. Thanks.
In Ireland, what you are looking for are called farmhouse B&Bs. There is a whole directory of them available from the Irish Tourism Board. They are located all over Ireland. On our first trip we stayed on a cattle farm that had a slate quarry as well, a sheep farm, and a hilltop farm where they trained jumping horses.
Here is a website, www.irishfarmholidays.com. They have listings for the Republic only. I will try to find something for Northern Ireland. You might try contacting the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
We stayed at some of the farhouse B&B's in '99 & '01. They were just as wonderful as the regular B&B's. Sorry I don't have more current info.
There is one B&B that we highly recommend in Co. Down, near Hillsborough. Ballykeel B&B is a working dairy farm.
Last year we stayed at a wonderful working farm B & B on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland. Superb location, great accommodation and the hosts were delightful. Can highly recommend it.
Name of the property is Kinbane Farmhouse www.kinbane.com