There is a metal bucket and shovel next to the settee (under small table) for clearing out the ashes. For disposal cold ashes can be sprinkled on the gravelled area towards the green shed/garage.

The nearest banks are in Swinford, Castlebar and Ballina. There is an ATM outside McGloin's Gala supermarket in Foxford.

Spare bedding is available in a plastic box under each bed.  Spare quilts, pillows etc are in the cupboards in the twin bedroom.

See separate sheet on places to visit and leisure activities

CLEANING MATERIALS

If you are bringing a laptop, there is WiFi in the cottage and a basic printer/scanner next to the TV (useful if you need to print return boarding cards).  The TV can also act as a PC monitor - the necessary cable is provided. See Internet below

There are dentists in Castlebar and Ballina eg Ballina Dental Practice. Kevin Barry Street Tel 096 - 21542

DISHWASHER

There is a doctor's surgery on the Main Street in Foxford next to Jordan's Bar.  Dr Thomas O'Cellaigh Tel  094 9257464. Also Ballina Primay Care Centre (near bus station) Kevin Barry St 096-22868 or 069-80441. Out of hours emergencies are dealt with by Westdoc Telephone 1850 365 000, HSE helpline 1850-24-1850.

The tap water comes from a community water scheme is not standard drinking water quality - see Water Quality below. Bottle water can be bought in Foxford.

There is a dry cleaning shop in Foxford

The clothes dryer is fairly straightforward to use.

The mains electricity is nominally 240V, UK style plugs.  The isolator switch is in the passageway to the bathroom. See also power cuts.

EMERGENCY NUMBER IS 999 OR 112. For water leaks in the house turn off the supply under the kitchen sink.

See separate sheet on places to visit and leisure activities

FEEDBACK FORM            

The smoke alarms are not very accessible due to high ceilings and may be set off by smoky fires in the fireplace or stove, or burnt toast! There is a small expandable metal pole (with blue ends) in the passageway which can be used to reset fire alarms.

There is a fire blanket above the kitchen sink to the right.

There are opening windows in both bedrooms which also function as fire escapes. Please familiarise yourself with the handle positions needed to fully open the windows before first going to bed.

There is a fire extinguisher in the passageway to the bathroom and beside the cabinet in the lounge.

Always use the spark guard fireguard for the open fire. There is also an expandable fireguard (in passage way to bathroom) that can be used around the stove. The stove and stove pipe get very hot.

There is additional chopped wood in the bunker in front of the old shed.

There is a small first aid kit of plasters and bandages in the kitchen cupboard above the fridge.

The gate on the driveway should be kept closed at all times to prevent cattle getting in when they are being moved in the lane. The small gate at the back of the house is on the boundary of the property. The overgrown path beyond (very rough) leads to a ruined building with good views from the hill behind.  This land was part of the cottage farm and now belongs to the owner’s Uncle.  It may be grazed and is very rough ground.

There is a hairdryer in either wardrobe or dressing table in the twin bedroom

There are men's and women's hairdressers in Foxford as well as more choice in Ballina and Castlebar

The heating is provided by ground source heat pump via a compressor located under the small deck, with pipes buried under the field in front of the cottage. The system is remotely controlled, with thermostats and timers set for the heating normally to come on twice a day mainly using off-peak electricity.  It is an extremely complex, finely tuned system so please does not alter any of the heating controls. If you need more warmth, there is nothing like an open fire or for something quick please use the electrical oil-filled radiators in the bedrooms.

EMERGENCY NUMBER IS 999 OR 112. The nearest hospital with Accident and Emergency services is in Castlebar. Very serious cases are referred to Galway.

HOT WATER/

SHOWER PUMP

There is a very large water cylinder in the "Hot Press" off the bathroom passage, heated mainly by the solar panels behind the cottage in the summer and the wood burning stove in the winter.  After a dull day the heat pump may do an initial heating of the water then the immersion heater will top it up. To give the water a one or two hour boost, press the "Immersion-Boost" button once or twice on the controller in the passageway.

All showers, taps (except kitchen cold) and loos are fed from a tank in the roof, so the water pressure is quite low. For showers, or to fill a bath, enable the shower pump timer. It can be set on for up to two hours. The pump will start as soon as any tap is turned on

There is a WiFi system in the cottage connected via a relatively slow radio link behind the cottage to the internet. This provides both a "Culmore Guest" access and two private ones.  No password is needed for the guest network..

There is free WiFi in The Mayfly hotel bar. Just ask bar staff for the access code. There may also be Wifi access in the restaurant at the Woollen Mill.

There is a steam iron and an ironing board in the wardrobes in the twin bedroom.

We will give you a front door key before you leave for Ireland.  Please bring the key back with you, along with a completed comment sheet. Keys to the back door and patio doors are in the kitchen drawer immediately next to the ensuite bedroom.

In addition to the cupboards and cutlery drawer (near the sink) there is another drawer facing the dining area which has more kitchen utensils. There is also equipment in the dresser in the lounge
KITCHEN DRESSER (in the lounge) The restored 1950s dresser came from a cottage belonging to the owner's great uncle . The new hinges (which are unusual) came from Cooke Brothers of Walsall who probably also made the originals!

(in the lounge) The restored 1950s dresser came from a cottage belonging to the owner's great uncle . The new hinges (which are unusual) came from Cooke Brothers of Walsall who probably also made the originals!

In addition to obvious light switches there are lights under kitchen cabinets with switches underneath the cabinets next to the sink. There is also lighting for the patio (switches nearest back door) and for outside the front of the house (switch near front door). The various unresponsive light switches are for yet-to-be-fitted garden lights.

First instance please call Richard +44-7701-507293. There are neighbours who know the cottage workings fairly well and we will try and get one of them to call if needed.

Some times of year, especially around May in still conditions, the midges are a nuisance. Use your favourite mosquito lotion to stop them biting.

The nearest inhabited house is just up the hill and to the right (Dempsey's Homestead - Mr & Mrs Brian Gaughan) The house cleaner and caretaker is Carol Heap - second house down the hill on left. Telephone 094-925-7808

Sometimes birds land on the roof and walk around at night! It is also possible to hear low frequency farm machinery sounds. If you have a long wave radio (eg 198 MHz for Radio 4) you will probably hear intermittent clicking from electric fences.

There is a very helpful pharmacy in Foxford (not open Sundays) facing on to car park behind Jordan's Bar on Main Street.

EMERGENCY NUMBER IS 999 OR 112.  They are known locally as "The Guards"

There is a post office in Foxford (opposite Reape's garage). Last postal collection is around 3.30pm. The post office is closed on Saturday afternoon. There is also a post box on Main Street opposite the Church of Ireland.

There are occasionally short term power cuts and voltage dips due to the long overhead lines. The solar heating, security and internet systems are partly solar powered and battery backed so will continue working even if the power is cut. There is a torch with the first aid box in the kitchen cupboard next to en suite bedroom.  There are spare candles under the kitchen sink.

There is a mains-powered radio alarm clock in the twin bedroom and a radio/CD player in the kitchen.  The digi-box next to the TV also receives 30 or so UK radio channels and is connected to the radio/CD player in the kitchen (select "Music Port"), so can be listened to even with the TV switched off.

There are local facilities for recycling aluminium drink cans and glass bottles, therefore there is a separate waste bin in the kitchen with sections for cans and bottles. There is also a small "compost caddy" in the kitchen with compostable liners (in kitchen cupboard) for waste vegetable peelings, tea bags and coffee grinds. There is black composting bin near the wood pile outside the house.  Newspapers and magazines are best used to light the fire or left for future fires.

General rubbish such as food packaging, steel cans, plastic bottles, needs to go into the general rubbish bin in the kitchen (red plastic bin) and when the liner is full transfer to the black dustbin near the woodpile to the right of the patio at the end of the gravel. See also "Ashes from fire" and "Recycling"

Waste water and sewage go into a septic tank in the field. Only throw toilet paper down the toilet!

Ensure extraction fan is switched on when using shower and window opened in en-suite shower.

Foxford has 2 supermarkets, a greengrocer, an excellent fishmonger, 2 butchers and a shop selling odds and ends.

The smoke alarms are not very accessible due to high ceiling. There is a small expandable metal pole (with blue ends) in the passageway which can be used to reset fire alarms.

The wood burning stove is also a boiler to heat the water as an alternative to other means. The stove and stove pipe get very hot. Nothing should be left on top of the stove. The doors often need to be left partially open otherwise the burning is too fierce. See also "Ashes from Fire"

There are 2 friendly supermarkets in Foxford; O'Hara's "Centra" and McGloin's "Gala". There are larger supermarkets including an enormous Tesco Ireland in Swinford, and in Ballina and Castlebar.

Callow cars Tel  087 6822685. Knock Airport Taxis Tel 085 27-200-40 (approx €50 one way)

Mobile phones work reasonably well.  Best reception is by the patio windows. There is a public phone box in the car park by the Catholic church.

The towel rails are warmed by the ground source heat pump when the floor is being heated.  They can be given a boost at other times using the timer switch to the right of the bathroom door in the passageway.

There is a supply of towels in the twin bedroom wardrobe.

The digi-box is a combined terrestrial/satellite unit, receiving around 7 Irish terrestrial digital channels and several hundred UK and European satellite channels.  The "Favourites" menus have been set to the most common ones and a list is included. The unit also receives 30 or so UK radio channels and is connected to the stereo in the kitchen, so can be listened to even with the TV switched off. There are no Sky subscription channels but there is a DVD/Home Cinema player and a selection of DVDs in the cottage.

The vacuum cleaner is in the lounge or passageway to the bathroom.

See separate sheet on places to visit and leisure activities

The washing machine is fairly straightforward to use. It also has a delayed start facility. Note also that the door does not open until about 3mins after the end of the washing cycle.

The stop tap is under the kitchen sink.

The water supply is not drinking water quality because of the possibility of microbial contamination. The mineral content is not a problem. The provider (Callow Lakes Water Scheme) recommends boiling the water before drinking, washing salads, cleaning teeth. The original supply to the cottage was from the whitewashed well (covered with metal plate) you can see on the left of the road just above the cottage driveway entrance. The Green Pump by the front door is suppied from the well.

There is additional chopped wood in the bunker in front of the old shed.