Having recently moved back to Cork from London where she lived for 13 years, Emily O’Donoghue and her husband, Chris, bought a house that had a Coach House on the grounds. They converted it into a two bedroomed cottage and since August 2017 have been welcoming guests from all over the world. “Airbnb is an incredible platform that allows me to fulfil this childhood dream of mine of owning my own guesthouse,” explained Emily. “I get to meet people from all walks of life who are coming to Cork for various different reasons: vacation, visiting relatives, tracing their ancestry, weddings…or on business; as a result, we are pretty full all the time! Our location close to Douglas village (a 5-minute walk), Cork City and Cork Airport (10 minutes by car) makes us extremely popular with holiday makers. Our guests appreciate the proximity of all these amenities, while enjoying the peace and calm of The Coach House which is nestled into the hills behind Douglas village… totally hidden from view.”
From Cork originally, Emily went to boarding school at Newtown School in Waterford for six years. Her husband also did all his schooling at Newtown School and grew up in Ballinakill, Waterford.
After graduating from UCD with a degree in French and Linguistics, Emily continued her education and did a postgraduate course in Journalism at Griffith College Dublin. From here she was accepted onto the European Events team with MTV Europe and began living life in London in 2003. Her role as Account Executive offered the opportunity to work on many events all over Europe including the MTV Music Awards. After being made redundant she began a new job with a sponsorship and marketing agency working as an Account Manager on the account for Canon Europe. “Canon at the time was the principal sponsor of London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks and my love of fashion was more than fulfilled as I spent much time in these three cities, working twice a year in hospitality for them and their customers,” explained Emily. “Anglo American was another client of our team and we travelled to South Africa to arrange conferences for them. These experiences have helped me greatly in understanding what it is that people want when travelling for work or pleasure.”
The Coach House is totally self-contained and, therefore, very private. It has two fine bedrooms; so it can easily sleep four guests. It has a bathroom, its own kitchen and a great sized drawing room with an aspect that takes in the afternoon and evening sun. “We cater very much for families by providing high chairs, travel cots, toddler beds and toys,” said Emily.
“We also have an enclosed courtyard that our guests have access to, along with a garden with a kid’s playhouse, swingset and trampoline.” She continued: “The Coach House has a 5 star rating on Airbnb and 9.7 on Booking. com; this is derived from all the feedback we have received over the past two years, and one of the principal things we expect guests to notice first and foremost is how spotless our Coach House is. We go to great lengths with our small team to ensure it is absolutely perfect for each new guest that arrives and they really appreciate it.
The Coach House is unique in that it comes with a great history. The Old Rectory, of which it is part, is set on just under an acre of garden and is over 200 years old. It belonged to the Church of Ireland until 20 years ago when it was sold and underwent extensive renovations. The original stone garden walls still stand in the courtyard and they have many stories to tell! We hope that we will continue to build on the success of the Coach House and that we are able to welcome more and more wonderful guests in the years to come.”
Munster Express readers booking with the Coach House can receive a special 15% discount by quoting code MUNEXPRESS when they book in directly with our website.
Offer valid until 30th November.
For more information visit www.thecoachhousedouglas.com
Emily O’Donoghue
The Coach House, Douglas
