Staying at the Anner Hotel in Thurles

I have to confess something.

I had no idea what Jim of the Mills was before I went on this Group Trip. I can promise you now, it is definitely something you want to know about and experience once in your life.

One of our latest Rory's Travel Club Group Trips held at the beginning of April got to find out just why this pub is talked about with excitement and reverence in the local area.

Our members stayed at the Anner Hotel as part of the Group Trip offer that we shared in our Group Trip emails. Just off the M8, the Anner Hotel is a lovely hotel that is very cosy and well furnished. Check in was super easy with really lovely staff to chat to and get tips about the area.

My room was very spacious and comfortable, a delightful space to unwind at after a 3 hour drive. After checking in with the Group I then met with one of the members, Clodagh Lawlor, for dinner at the restaurant. The food was excellent, really good quality and the wait staff were really prompt with the service and eager to let me know more about Jim of the Mills and what to expect. It was wonderful too to get to know Clodagh for the first time and hear about her adventures at Nashville, as well as to hear her beautiful voice later in the night.

Safe to say, by expectations and excitement to experience the pub were at an all time high!

Jim of the Mills

After having dinner, members met at the reception to wait for the coach to the pub. Jerry Ryan Jnr Coaches  were super efficient and lovely, you would want no better company to make sure you got through the winding roads.

Fair warning, the Jim of the Mills pub is in the middle of nowhere, there's no phone reception, and is only open on a Thursdays. You would need to have transport organised and then keep your wits about you to have an eye on the time. But luckily, we were well looked after and the drive was a great opportunity to get to know the other members.

The pub itself was beyond anything the staff at the Anner had told me. It is basically a wee thatched cottage with several rooms that will have at least one person holding the room's attention with a song, or playing an instrument. There is a bar in one room that is constantly hard pressed to provide a Guinness into eager hands. Another room has a piano, and yet another had a peat fire going. A shed outside was yet another space for people to enter and listen to live performances.

It also happened to be the busiest night of the year. There were so many people trying to squeeze into the rooms and queue for Guinnesses just for the opportunity to chat and listen to all the singers that it felt like stepping into a completely different world where time disappeared and you were left with the people beside you, songs, and a peat hearth fire crackling in the background. 

You were lucky to find a seat, and often you could see people sitting on staircases and peering down to listen to the singers. There was a lovely variety of songs from across the Island, and it didn't matter if you couldn't sing - you could just join in or move between the rooms to listen to amazing folk songs that you would have grown up listening to. The stories were great craic, the people around you were always willing to chat and get to know you, and many were amazed that someone had made the journey all the way from Belfast. 

It was very hard to leave the pub when it was time to go. Not just for me, but all the members who had joined the night and got stuck in telling their own stories and sharing their own songs. We had some amazing singers in the group and it was truly a privilege to hear them and get to meet them.

We returned to the hotel after midnight, and I fully expected everyone to head to bed. Instead, a fair number decided to set up their instruments and singing voices and carry on until well into the wee hours of the morning. It was as if they brought Jim of the Mills into the Anner hotel. The songs and stories just continued and it was a brilliant way to finish off the night.

Final Thoughts

What. A. Night.

The Anner Hotel is a very cosy hotel to relax in, with amazing staff and comfortable rooms that proves an ideal contrast to the packed and extremely lively Jim of the Mills. It was an unforgettable experience that was proved to be extra special for the members who also went on the trip. We had some first time Rory's Travel Club members join members who had already formed solid friendships from previous Group Trips.

Honestly, the best part of the trip were seeing the members be ready to join in and share their songs, stories, and laughter. It really proved how special the Group Trips can be with the clear energy and willingness everyone has to have a good time and make new friends - and made me be very proud to be part of the Rory's Travel Club Group Trip experience.