Ireland’s cottage industry’s emerald gems

On the search for self-catering treasures across Ireland, Globe correspondent Thomas Breathnach discovered that across the border of his native Cork lies the most remarkable of Irish country manors.

The western portion of Waterford county is still dotted with traditional Irish cottages such as this one in the townland Kilbrien.

The Dromana House, which lies on the bank of the majestic Blackwater River in Cappoquin, Ireland, has housed 23 generations of owner Barbara Grubb’s family.

Dromana’s East Wing features a dining room adorned with candelabras, silver platters, and oil paintings.

The estate’s history, according to Grubb, dates back to 1200 when England’s King John granted the lands of Waterford to the noble FitzGerald clan.

Of the family’s original 30,000-acre estate, today just over 600 remain.

Dromana’s gardens also feature a number of woodland walks and riparian picnic spots, all maintained by the family without the aid of groundskeepers.

Lismore Castle, which is also situated on the bank of the Blackwater River in nearby Lismore, is home to the duke of Devonshire. The castle can be rented out, but for the pricey sum of $52,000 a week.

Bridge Cottage, tucked inside the border of nearby Tipperary, sits on the grounds of the derelict family mill, an impressive edifice that in its heyday processed everything from blackberry jam to fine linen.

Bridge Cottage overlooks the Knockmealdown Mountains, which is filled with wildlife like this grazing mountain sheep.

The region is filled with majestic mountain ranges, like the Comeragh Mountains (pictured), which has dramatic ridges that overlook Coumshingaun Lake.