Mr & Mrs Smith

Mr & Mrs Smith have just returned from a stay at this County Meath boutique hotel, and as soon as they've unpacked their riding boots and fishing rods, a full account of their luxury break in the Irish countryside will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick snapshot of Tankardstown House near Slane…

If you’ve ever driven past a stately home and wished it could be yours for the night, haste ye to Tankardstown House in County Meath. It has all the personal touches of a lived-in country pile: framed portraits, grand pianos awaiting practice and four prize pooches (a mastiff, a Rhodesian ridgeback, a labrador and a bichon frise) ready for walking. Trish is the mum of the manor, and she rules over it with pride, stoking every fire, feeding the hens, putting everything back in its immaculate place.

The hosts turned to hospitality after their home was used to cater for the Ryder Cup in 2006, and they haven’t looked back, switching the old cow shed to a restaurant, converting the former stables to more accommodation and making the milking parlour a secret dining room. During the renovation, antiques were plucked from all over Ireland, and the remnants are yours for the buying, on sale in the hotel’s shop.

The acres and acres of tended grounds and secluded walled gardens will make you feel a million miles away, but the hotel’s just an hour from Dublin’s bright lights. Come play lord and lady.