Harteminks in Ireland: Swiss Cottage and Mitchelstown Caves (10/19)

Recently we went back to nearby Cahir ("care"), where we previously toured the famous Cahir Castle but missed what is known as the Swiss Cottage. It's not really Swiss, it is a small "cottage orné" (ornate cottage) that just looks like it would fit right in the Alps. It's absolutely gorgeous. While the Butlers owned the castle, and lived in a large home in the city, this was their summer getaway. It was designed to be comfortable, blend into nature, and be organic (few lines, few angles, little symmetry). It is ornately (but naturally and tastefully) decorated on the inside, being described as a full-size doll house. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside, so we only have a couple external shots, but you can see a couple interior shots here and I found another here. I just wish you could see the octagonal "spider web" flooring that would be hard enough to cut from wood, but then they made it irregular/natural (the 8 sides and angles are not equal) which only adds to amazement. Also, thanks to the OPW Tour Guide who moved our tour up so that we could make our next stop on time.

Then we toured the Mitchelstown Caves on our way home, which are large caves that were accidentally discovered when someone dropped a wrench between two rocks and it landed in a massive cave. There is not a lot of story to the pictures, so I will mostly post them without captions. But some of the dripping mineral buildup takes literally hundreds of thousands of years to accumulate into the delicate structures pictured. Fun fact: there is a series of Irish fan-made Star Wars short films that were partly filmed in the caves.

Also, that morning we did our first "park run." If you are not familiar, many towns in Europe (and elsewhere) have a free community 5k every Saturday morning. It's just for fun, but there is also official timing in case you want to track your progress. It's mostly social. In Clonmel about 120 people participate each Saturday. Kate ran, while the rest of us walked. As a cross country runner, Kate was a bit of a ringer, finishing first for women.

And we ended the dreary wet day with maybe the brightest rainbow I have ever seen, right outside our front door.

Kate, the 5k rockstar

SWISS COTTAGE

The building is almost surreal. Note, there is some optical illusion at play with the roofs and veranda, as the home is rather small on the inside (4 rooms).

The yew tree on the right is over 1000 years old. And you can see the the woodwork looks downright elven.

The thatch is intense.

More information if you want to read about this cottage specifically, but also cottage ornés generally. The 1981 story was a little sad. A wealthy Canadian bought it as a summer home when the Butlers died out, but then had illness in the family and was never able to move in. So the home was neglected for 5 years with a lot of wind and rain damage inside, not to mention all the local teens using it as an abandoned hangout. But it's pristine now!

MITCHELSTOWN CAVES