About Tír na Meala
Tír na Meala was built in the early 80s as a honey factory, "Mil an
tSuláin". Is hasbeen used as such for a number of years, but the factory was
not economically viable. Currently, only a painting (by
local artist Pauline Dodds) on the ceiling of the library reminds us of the
building's original use.
It was bought by an English couple some years later who
named it "Honeybrook".
A Dutch couple bought the house in 1997 and rebuilt it
with guest rooms and a workshop which can be used for art courses. We acquired
Tír na Meala in 2008.
Tír na Meala is situated in a quiet
valley, surrounded by the ruggedhills of Southwest Ireland.
There are excellent
opportunities for walking in the area.
Coolea (Cúil Aodha in Gaelic) lies in one of the Gaeltacht
areas where Gaelic is the everydaylanguage and where the Irish cultural
heritage is vibrant. One of thefounding fathers of the revival of traditional Irish
music, SeánÓ Riada, lived there. He was a lecturer in Irish music at
UniversityCollege Cork and one of the music groups he founded later developed into
TheChieftains. His son, Peadar Ó Riada, still lives and records in his
ownstudio in Coolea and is the musical director of the male choir
CórChúil Aodha which was founded in 1963 by his father. Peadar was
also oneof the original owners of the honey factory.