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Blackstairs Courtyard is located in a quiet and beautiful part of the Barrow valley beside the Blackstairs Mountains.

The two cottages, architect-designed conversions of the stone-built grainstore and dairy, share the courtyard with our 200 year-old farmhouse. Imaginatively planted, the courtyard is surrounded by orchard, gardens and meadow, with views of the Blackstairs and Brandon Hill. It’s an enchanting and very peaceful place, and we welcome guests for short holiday breaks or for longer stays, to write, paint or work on a project, or simply to retreat from urban life for a while.

The riverside village of Graiguenamanagh, with its Cistercian abbey, pubs, shops and restaurants, is 5 km away, and there are also shops, pubs and an excellent restaurant in Borris (8 km). St Mullins (8km) has a Norman motte, monastic ruins and holy well, a welcoming pub and a coffee-shop right on the river. Among other things to see and do, there are tow-path walks and swimming-places on the Barrow, hill-walking tracks on the Blackstairs, two local par 3 golf courses and easy access to Kilkenny and New Ross.

We are writer Deborah Ballard and musician Carole Nelson. We look forward to welcoming you to Blackstairs Courtyard.