Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.

Guests' happiness is paramount for host John Edward Joyce at his characterful, eclectically furnished country house with charming bedrooms and exquisite but unstuffy fine dining in the Mustard Seed restaurant.

There is a happy sense of continuity at this classic Georgian country house, where sixth-generation owners Louise and John Mathers have been welcoming guests since 2005.

Solitary Nephin, Ireland's highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary country-house hotel began life in 1964 as a restaurant run by farmer's wife Myrtle Allen, using produce from the farm and walled kitchen garden, and has grown into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue ,while keeping faith with its founding principles.

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are welcoming hosts at their fabulous Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirlooms and auction finds, where guitar-strumming chef Paddy cooks a nightly menu, breakfast eggs are from the resident hens, and a library in the coach house is devoted to the study of civilisation.

In 30 acres of private gardens, this pink-washed Georgian manor house overlooking Ballinakill Bay has the warmth and ambience of a much-loved home, its traditional interiors filled with artworks, antiques and curios. An eclectic, daily-changing menu of locally sourced dishes is served in the dining room.

A long, winding drive leads to Henry and Lucy Hodgson's country house on an estate on Lough Corrib, with its lakeside sauna, old-fashioned interiors, warm hospitality, and great home-cooked food.

There are no TVs or minibars at the Leslies' ancestral country house on an estate with lakes and woodlands, but interiors are a trove of Grand Tour treasures, every house bedroom comes with some extraordinary tale, and estate-to-plate dishes are served in the restaurant.

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

There is a house-party ambience at Justin and Jenny Green’s Georgian country house, filled with treasures passed down through generations, where produce from the kitchen garden and estate feature on the set dinner menu, and everything from bread and preserves to gin infusions is made in house.

It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm, a fine-dining restaurant,, modern comforts and an ambience of calm.

Between gently rolling hills and the ocean, this former coastguard's HQ has intensely characterful bedrooms, sublime views over Bunatrahir Bay, and a restaurant serving simple dishes of locally farmed and fished produce.