Everyone should visit the Quay House at least once. Paddy is a hugely generous, big-hearted man, with an enormous talent for mixing antiques, ancestral portraits and ornate mirrors with African shields, tiger skins, sculpture and stuffed anything. And Julia has a great eye for colour. Yes, it’s quirky, but it is also steeped in sybaritic luxury and style: big bedrooms are all different, perhaps with a four-poster, a grand view, a working fireplace, and there’s not a whiff of meanness. All have soundproofed walls, deep mattresses, thick curtains, large fluffy towels, piping hot water and proper bathrooms with windows. Sleep soundly to the clinking of boats in the harbour, breakfast slowly on home-baked bread, full Irish, devilled kidneys, even oysters, in a sunny conservatory. Step out to discover bustling Clifden with its chic shops, or head for golden sands, fishing, golf, walking – it’s all here in glorious Connemara. Return to a beautifully furnished drawing room, a comfy sofa by a roaring fire, homemade brac and a restorative chat with this charismatic and humorous couple. Marvellous.
