Gregans Castle

When Simon Haden was a teenager, he was a full-on punk. The spiky hair. The ripped t-shirts. The full Sid Vicious. It helps to know this, should you find yourself enfolded in the sumptuous luxury of Gregans (there is no apostrophe) Castle, because Mr Haden’s youthful anarchic philosophy explains why this grandest of country houses is also the least pretentious country house you have ever set foot in. Gregans is de luxe, gracious, and totally punk. Head chef Robbie McCauley won a place in the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts when he was just 16 years of age, and his skills are virtuosic, seen in dishes such as scallops with pork jowl or halibut with sea purslane and razor clams. They serve simpler dinners on Mondays and Thursdays, and no visitor to The Burren should miss the excellent lunches in the Corkscrew Bar.