Overview
Corderry Farm has been in the Ivory family since the 1700s, and the self-catering cottage at its heart is a 300-year-old stone farmhouse. Ailish and John Ivory run it now as a working beef farm alongside a place to stay: 250 acres in the Glen of Aherlow, under the Galtee Mountains. The real pull is what’s outside the door – you can step straight from the courtyard onto the trails, with mountains, rivers and woodland to walk into. The cottage carries Fáilte Ireland’s Tourist Accommodation Welcome Standard and a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
The cottage
The cottage sleeps up to four across three bedrooms (one double, two singles). An open-plan living area holds a fully equipped kitchen and woodburning stoves, with windows onto the hills. There’s a games room for wet afternoons, a private garden and viewing area, and – unusually for a self-catering let – an outdoor kitchen and BBQ area for cooking after a day out. Parking is free in the courtyard.
One thing that sets the place apart is the ‘One Condition’ guarantee: if you’re not happy after the first night, you get a full refund, provided you give the owners your feedback. It’s a confident promise, and worth knowing about.
Farm life and produce
This is a working farm, and guests are welcome to see it work. The farm shop and a roadside coffee trailer sell what’s grown here. In season you can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and, later in the year, pumpkins. The farm’s grass-fed beef has won awards, and it’s sold year-round through a Beef Box service – ‘sustainably raised, delivered to your door’ – which you can order online or collect on site.
Walking and history
There are nine loop walks you can start directly from the farm, which sits on the Ballyhoura Way. Guided hikes of the Galtee Mountains can be booked through the local ‘Tipperary Trails’ guide if you want to go higher with someone who knows the ground.
The land itself is a small archaeological site. There are two dolmens on the farm, one of them a wedge tomb, and the Shrough Dolmen – known locally as The Giant’s Bed – lies nearby, with wide views across the Harp of Cliu and the Galtee range. The cottage looks out over the wider Glen of Aherlow, one of the quieter corners of inland Tipperary.
Practical information
Booking and contact – Reservations go through the official website. For direct enquiries, call +353 87 9000097 or email relax@corderryfarmireland.ie.
Location and access – Corderry Farm, Glen of Aherlow, Co. Tipperary, E34 DH42, signposted from Lisvernane. The nearest village with shops is Galbally, about three miles away, with pubs, a butcher, a coffee shop, a chip shop and a playground. Tipperary Town is a 15-minute drive and has a cinema, swimming pool, pitch and putt, golf and a racecourse. Public transport in the valley is limited, so a car is more or less essential; the nearest regular buses run from Cahir and Tipperary Town.
Nearby attractions
- Cahir Castle – a heavily fortified medieval castle on the River Suir, 20 minutes north.
- Rock of Cashel – a cluster of medieval buildings on a limestone outcrop above the town.
- Devil’s Bit Mountain – a flat-topped peak with a gap in the ridge and a good walk to the cross.
- Bansha – a village on the edge of the glen known for its music sessions.
- Ballyhourigan Loop and Woods – a woodland trail network good for family walks and mountain biking.
Book well ahead for summer and the autumn harvest weekends, and time a visit for fruit-picking season if that’s the draw – it’s strictly first-come, first-served, and the beds sell out fast on a good weekend.