Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in Ireland:

Cooking Breaks in County Wexford
. . . learn to cook a la Carte

Dunbrody Abbey Cookery School is situated next to Dunbrody Castle in the wider grounds of the famous Abbey - a magnificent Twelfth Century Cistercian ruin on the banks of the River Pill in the ancient townland of Dunbrody near Campile, Co. Wexford.

The McAuliffes moved here in 2000 when they sold the Neptune restaurant and cookery school in Ballyhack, which they had opened in 1984 after six exciting years as chef patrons of the King’s Bay Inn in nearby Arthurstown.

Their home and cookery school is a restored Seventeenth century outbuilding of the castle. It is open year round and offers a wide variety of courses, both seasonal and ethnic including contemporary Irish, fish cooking, home entertaining, etc. Most courses are demonstration / recreational, with an emphasis on enjoyment and relaxation, starting at 11:00 am with coffee, and finishing mid-afternoon after a splendid tasting lunch.

With friend and fellow chef / restaurateur Martin Dwyer, Pierce and Valerie McAuliffe inaugurated their Cookery School in 1989 whilst still in Ballyhack. Martin is a regular Guest Chef and exclusive cookery days with him can be arranged. Their new ‘A La Carte Cookery’ concept, offers exclusive cookery courses with content and timing at the customer’s discretion.

Their specilaity is their cookery breaks where you get to learn about, and enjoy, wonderful food whilst at the same time getting to see and relax in this wonderful part of Ireland.

View from Cookery School	Dunbrody Maze

Dunbrody AbbeyCookerySchool in Co Wexford, Ireland . . . a short drive from Rosslare Ferryport or Waterford Airport

Are you interested in learning about Irish Cooking? Are you traveling to Ireland and would like to take in a Cookery Course, in idyllic surroundings?

The Cookery School is located opposite Dunbrody Abbey, two miles from Arthurstown on the New Ross road and seven miles from Waterford via the Passage East car ferry. There is a delightful Mews apartment, overlooking old Dunbrody Castle which accomodates two in absolute comfort. There are also excellent guesthouses and hotels nearby.

Day courses commence with coffee at 11:00 am and end at 3:30 pm after a full tasting lunch. (Copies of all recipes supplied)

A La Carte Cookery Days
Enjoy an exclusive, relaxing Cookery Day (or two) and delicious lunch with chefs, Pierce & Valerie. You get to choose the date and course content - fish cooking, baking, etc - the choice is yours. Minimum of four non residential participants two residential.

Selection of Typical Cookery Course Contents

On our "Fish Fresh & Simple"

We do:

• Oyster Broth
• Smoked Salmon Scones
• Discussion on filleting of fish and demonstration
• Fish Stock
• Stirfry Pepper
• Bechamel Sauce

Demonstration of cooking:

• Floured fillets of sole
• Roast Monkfish & Crab sauce.
• Char-grilled Red Mullet
• Creamed Spinach
• Leek & Potato Champ
• Rhubarb Fool
• Ginger Biscuits

On Our "Modern Irish Cookery"

We do:

• Roast Breast of Chicken with White Pudding, Apple and Hazlenut Stuffing
• Yellow Pepper Soup
• Bechamel Sauce
• Roast Garlic Potatoes

Demonstration of cooking:

• Fillets of Salmon with a Crab & Ginger sauce, on a Spring onion potato cake
• Creamed Spinach
• Peach & Almond Crumble

On our "Buffet Entertaining Casseroles"

We do:

• Tomato Cheese Focaccia Yeast Bread
• Red pepper Soup
• Cheesy Salmon & Prawn Crumble
• Leek & Scallion Tart with crunchy hot butter pastry
• Casserole of Guinea Fowl with Baileys
• Barbecue Stirfry of vegetables
• Sweet Potato Mash
• Shortbread Strwaberry Sables

On our "Game Cookery"

We do:

• Tomato & Cheese Yeast Bread
• Mushroom & Tarragon Soup
• Mallard Breast with Mousseline Stuffing and Juniper Gravy
• Red Cabbage with Apple & Raisins
• Venison Casserole
• Peppered Potato & Turnip Mash
• Sauteed Rosemary Potato
• Blackberry & Apple Crumble Tartlets

On our "Summer Buffet Cooking"

We do:

• Onion & Scallion Tart with crunchy hot butter pastry
• Spicy Carrot Soup
• Cold Salmon Buffet
• Baked Custard Tart with Baileys
• Cous Cous with Mint and Lime
• Mixed Pickles & Potato Salad
• Smoked Salmon Rilliettes, on Garlic Crustades
• Banana Rum & Ginger Crepes

These represent a selection of options. A course more to your own liking can be agreed prior to your selected date.

Aldridge Lodge

Aldridge Lodge Restaurant and luxury guest accommodation overlooks the picturesque fishing village of Duncannon, offering stunning views of both the nearby beach and River Suir Estuary. The Lodge offers you luxury ensuite rooms and a relaxation lounge, all beautifully and imaginatively decorated. A short distance from the village and harbour, the Lodge is ideally situated for hill walking, swimming and sight-seeing, exploring the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of Hook Head - all the elements for a perfect break.

Warren Farm Guest Cottages

A wonderful palce to relax, unwind and enjoy the pretty gardens and the lovely views of the surrounding area, Warren Farm is in a quiet rural area with sweeping views of the Barrow Valley and Estuary. It has five cottages, all of which are quite different and each has its own distinctive character. Four cottages ~ Dairy Cottage, Doyle’s Cottage, Horseshoe Cottage and The Coach House ~ are grouped around a large prize winning courtyard garden, and the fifth one ~ Granary Cottage ~ luxuriates in its own private richly planted garden.

Each cottage has a modern kitchen, equipped to the highest standards, with electric hob and oven, microwave, fridge / freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, iron, coffee maker, etc. All have colour TV, DVD, Radio / CD Player. They have oil-fired central heating and a wood-burning stove. Each cottage has a private patio with garden furniture and barbeque.

Oldcourt Holiday Cottages

The two hubdred year old farmhouse has recently been completely refurbished adjoining the stables at Oldcourt. There are now two cottages available to let to the holidaymaker with an interest in horses, farming or just in relaxing in the countryside!

Each cottage is fully equipped with all the modern requirements including central heating and a solid fuel stove for those evenings in beside the fire. Each cottage has two bedrooms, comprising one double bedroom and one bunk room with two single beds. There is a large open plan living / dining / kitchen area downstairs. Both cottages have satellite television, a garden and room for parking.

This area of Ireland is full of places to see, things to do and wondeful places to visit. There is great food and that special Irish hospitality to be enjoyed wherever you go. These are just some ideas of places you can incorpoarte into your break at the Dunbrody Abbey Cookery School. These are just a few suggestions to whet your appetite.

Kilmokea Gardens

In the mild frost free climate of Co Wexford in Southern Ireland, the 7 acres of Kilmokea Gardens are beautifully laid out around the Georgian Manor of Kilmokea. Topiary, lawns, herbaceous and mixed plantings combine with architectural features and ornaments to provide an enchanting series of walled gardens that everyone is welcome to walk around and enjoy.

Stroll through the 'rose quarter garden' and 'kitchen garden' towards the herbaceous borders, the dovecote and Italia loggia and pool.
Enjoy the tranquillity surrounding the trout lake, board walk and duck pond as you pass flowers and plants of many varieties such as Camellias, Rhododendrons and Candelabra Primulas. Discover the more unusual Metasequoia glyptostroboides, observation hide and literary corner.

Dunbrody - Ireland's historic emigrant ship

The original Dunbrody was a three-masted barque built in Quebec, Canada, for the Graves family of New Ross, Co Wexford in 1845. She carried many emigrants to the new world from 1845 - 1870. The Dunbrody Project involves the construction of a full scale sea-going replica. The Dunbrody was finished in early 2001 and has been opened to visitors since then where it can be seen at the quayside in New Ross.

An interactive exhibition re-enacts life on the Dunbrody as she carried her passengers from New Ross to the US and Canada 150 years ago. Visitors can experience life on board an emigrant ship as they explore the authentically recreated decks of the ship.

The Hook Peninsula

The Hook Peninsula in Wexford is the place to visit if you are looking for canoeing, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba-diving, fishing, swimming or just wanting to relax in the sun . . . there is always a sheltered beach for you to enjoy!

This unspoilt part of Ireland, awaiting discovery, is distinctly different and possesses a landscape, history, culture and character al of its own. The beaches are one of the special attractions of this area - pretty fishing villages, bird watching on the mudflats of Bannow Estuary, deep sea angling . . . rivers, valleys, estuaries and rolling hills with rich grazing land.

Duncannon Fort

Duncannon Fort is a star shaped fortress on an important promontory in Waterford Harbour. It was built in 1558 in the expectation of an attack on the area by the Spanish Armada. The Fort is surrounded by a thirty foot high dry moat and has one of the oldest lighthouses of its kind in Ireland. All the major buildings in the Fort surround a parade ground. A walk around the outer ramparts afford spectacular views across the estuary to Co Waterford and down to Hook Head. Located at a lower level than the moat is the croppy boy cell. After the 1798 rebellion, prisoners were detained here pending transfer to Geneva Barracks for trial and sentencing. An added attraction is the Maritime Museum which charts the maritime history of one of the most dangerous coastlines in Ireland, the Wexford coast.

Dunbrody Abbey

The Abbey, founded in 1170 and completed around 1220, is one of the finest examples of a Cistercian Monastery in Ireland. With the historic Abbey, the Tea Rooms and Craft Shop for those wishing to relax, as well as the Maze and Pitch & Putt for the more actively minded, this location has proved extremely popular with visitors of all ages. Set in a rural area the Visitor Centre has an atmosphere of tranquillity and is safe for families with children.

The John F Kennedy Arboretum

Dedicated to the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States from 1960 to 1963, the Arboretum is a plant collection of international standing. It covers 252 hectares (623 acres) on the southern slopes and summit of Slieve Coillte and contains 4,500 types of trees and shrubs from all temperate regions of the world, planted in botanical sequence. There are 200 forest plots grouped by continent. A road provides access to the summit at 271metres from which there are panoramic views. A Visitor Centre houses exhibitions and audio visual show.