Christmas at The Thatched Cottage

Festive celebrations in popular Ballycommon venue

Christmas is the busiest time of the year for most businesses, particularly those involved in the catering trade.

This coming Christmas is a significant one for Noreen Cavanagh and her team at The Thatched Cottage in Ballycommon, as she reflects on 15 years of running one of Tipperary's most popular hostelries. ‘The Thatch’, as it is affectionately known locally, is known far and wide for its standard of food and service coupled with a welcome and setting that's hard to beat anywhere.

And Christmas is perhaps the best time of the year to experience it all. The charming straw-roofed complex - which dates back to the early 1800s - has already been decked out in festive splendour, with a marvellous Christmas tree and a tasteful, thoughtful array of lighting and associated decor.

It all lends a unique Yuletide ambience to a venue famed for its cosy, rustic ‘Old World’ atmosphere, where guests love to ward off the chill of winter by the wondrous wood-burning fire.

This intimate setting is ideal for smaller-scale functions and parties at Christmas time. In her years at The Thatch, Noreen has welcomed a great many local businesses and community groups back for their Christmas party. Nearby John Hanly & Co woollen company, for example, have been coming to The Thatch at Christmas for some 25 years.

Nenagh Special Summer Camp and Ballycommon Ladies Club are among the local community groups celebrating their Christmas party at The Thatch, with an enticing festive lunch menu and, rumour has it, the likelihood of a visit from Santa Claus!

This year will see two dedicated Christmas party nights at The Thatch on Saturday, December 9 - with a disco and karaoke - and Saturday, December 16 - with live music. Guests will be greeted on arrival with a Christmas cocktail before sitting down to a sumptuous festive feast comprising a choice of five starters, five main meals, and a dessert platter. This excellent set dinner menu is presented at just €49 a head.

Lunch or dinner, all of the food served at The Thatch is locally-sourced using the freshest ingredients available. Some of it comes from the recently-established artisan bakery across the road, which is quickly earning a reputation for its produce, most notably the sourdough bread and luxurious range of confectionary.

Sarah, who runs the bakery, has been holding cookery demonstrations at The Thatch. This Christmas, she will be adding to the restaurant range with a supply of seasonal goodies, including gorgeous chocolate Yule logs.

Noreen makes the point that there are around 30 people employed at the crossroads of Ballycommon between The Thatched Cottage, bakery and Tony's Tipp Top Shop. The small village is a remarkable hive of industry, thanks in no small part to Thatch proprietors Tony and Kathleen Donlan.

They have breathed new life into the old cottage over the years, most recently with the addition of the ‘Glass House’, a fully-covered patio dining area with its own private bar. It was developed in the wake of the pandemic and has proven a popular draw with customers ever since.

The pandemic was one of a series of challenges that Noreen and her staff have overcome over the years. Success does not come easy in the catering trade and the present economic challenges have made things all the more difficult.

But the Thatched Cottage has weathered many a storm over the last two centuries. With the passion Noreen and her staff have for maintaining a high standard of service, it is sure to endure for plenty more years to come.

Noreen took the opportunity to wish all of her customers and staff a very happy and peaceful Christmas, and she extends a warm welcome to all to The Thatched Cottage this festive season.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS AT THE THATCH

Christmas party nights - December 9 and 16. Bookings are still being taken, but please book as soon as possible as spaces are limited. You can also make inquiries about smaller-scale Christmas parties on other dates.

The Thatch will serve food up until 5pm on Christmas Eve.

Reopening for the annual St Stephen's Day Hunt (note that no food will be served on this day).

Celebration of ‘Little Christmas’ / ‘Women's Christmas’ on January 6

Note also that there will be a craft fair at Ballycommon Hall on Sunday, December 10. Produce from the local bakery will be among the items for sale.

A short spin out from Nenagh, The Thatched Cottage is served with ample parking. There is also the Local Link bus service connecting it with Nenagh and the surrounding hinterland by day.

Contact The Thatched Cottage on +353 (0) 67 31426 or 087 1413104; email info@thethatchedcottage.ie and check out the website at www.thethatchedcottage.ie. See also its Facebook / Instagram.