About Breac.House
A headland hideaway
Breac.House is a modern retreat at the far edge of Ireland. A place to get away in the complete sense of the word. Enjoy the modern luxuries of time, space and generosity - in our rooms, our hospitality and our surroundings.
Cathrine & Niall
In designing Breac.House, our vision was to create a unique, contemporary retreat which would bring new visitors to this very special part of Donegal. Breac.House brings together our love of all things Donegal, quality Irish design, real food, local heritage and, of course, the opportunity to explore the amazing beaches and mountains. Since we opened in 2017, our guests have responded and embraced that vision and, we hope, leave our little corner of the world with a real connection to this place, its people and its heritage. It has been a particular joy to welcome so many first time visitors to Donegal not just from Ireland but from all over the world. The Breac.House experience continues to evolve and each year we add little touches or new collaborations to enhance a stay with us.
A headland surrounded by the sea
Located on the Wild Atlantic Way, Horn Head is a dramatic headland surround by sea, cliff, beach, forest and bay. The peninsula, part of Sheephaven Bay, is classified as a Special Area of Conservation (‘SAC’) under the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area for planning and development purposes. The cliffs rise straight out of the water to a height of about 600 ft/180m and are an internationally important colony for breeding seabirds. It is designated as an Irish Natural Heritage Area and as a refuge for fauna, specifically sea birds.
An Corrán Binne
The area is also of archeological significance with remains of Neolithic stone circles, court tombs, passage tombs and prehistoric field boundaries. While not part of the surrounding Irish-speaking Gaeltacht area, many of the place names on Horn Head remind us of its Irish speaking history, including Horn Head itself – An Corrán Binne, the Hollow in the Hills.
A walk through the dunes
Donegal, along with Kerry, boasts more unique blue flag beaches (12 in 2020) than any other county in Ireland with 2 of those in the immediate vicinity of Breac.House (Killahoey and Marble Strand) as well as the idyllic Tramore beach which is a walk from the house through sand dunes and marram grass. Often deserted, this beach is a firm favourite with our guests.
Sustainability & responsibility
At Breac.House, we aim to create memorable experiences for our guests which reflect and respect the unique environment and community in which we are located. Horn Head is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive and we feel a strong responsibility to minimise our impact and the impact of our guests on this beautiful place.
Our specific commitments to our guests, employees, suppliers and communities are set out in our Sustainability Statement. We are delighted to be members of Sustainable Travel Ireland and we are committed to constant improvement over time.
Collaborators and Suppliers
We are proud to work with a number of local and national suppliers and collaborators who are very much part of the Breac.House experience.
House
A team of Donegal craftsmen
Led by builders Joseph McMenamin & Sons and our foreman Eugene Gallagher, a team of craftsmen have painstakingly completed the building of Breac.House. Local joiners and makers Hugh Haughey and Frank Morning have crafted every piece of fitted oak joinery in the bedrooms, library, boot room, kitchen and open areas. The beautiful Fanad granite has been cut and fitted by local stonemason Thomas Carr, and the Ardara Quartzite was quarried for us in South Donegal.
MacGabhann Architects
Breac.House was designed by local, award-winning MacGabhann Architects. Brothers Tarla and Antoin MacGabhann and their talented team have created an innovative and exciting design, which is both contemporary and traditional in its use of materials and how the building sits within the unique landscape of Horn Head.
Furniture
Tricia Harris
Tricia Harris is an award-winning contemporary furniture designer, creating exceptional design-led pieces. Based in Dublin, Tricia has created a unique oak dresser for the lounge at Breac.House and beautiful chairs for our guest rooms.
Eddie Doherty
The Donegal tweed used throughout Breac.House was made by one of Ireland’s last handloom weavers, Eddie Doherty. Eddie's workshop is in Ardara, the home of Donegal tweed. Using only local Donegal wool and traditional methods, each piece of Eddie's work is a genuine masterpiece.
Simon O'Driscoll
Award-winning Irish furniture designer Simon O'Driscoll has an absolute passion and commitment to design —delivered through the fusion of design, craftsmanship and exquisite materials. The sofa and nest of tables at Breac.House have been designed by Simon using Donegal tweed by Eddie Doherty and Fanad granite by Thomas Carr.
Objects
Atlantic Equipment Project
Ashley Smith established Atlantic Equipment Project in the North West of Ireland to create a small collection of backpacks and carry equipment, inspired by Atlantic adventure. The sturdy picnic backpacks you take on your travels have been specially designed and made for us by Ashley —with the Breac.House experience in mind.
Superfolk
Superfolk design and make simple, beautiful homewares for people who love the wild outdoors —with a passion for wildlife, seasonality, wild food and a respect for our natural world. Using local seaweed as the inspiration, Superfolk have created a series of special pieces of art for Breac.House which can be seen in the lounge and in our guest rooms
Muck ‘n’ Muffins
Breakfast is served on our beautiful, unique range of pottery designed and made for us by local sisters Deborah and Emma Moore, who run Muck ‘n’ Muffins pottery and coffee shop in Dunfanaghy village. Using clay from Inishowen, Co. Donegal, each piece has been handcrafted, painted and glazed with Breac.House guests in mind.
Suppliers
- Aad
- Al Higgins Photography
- Baavet
- Bean and Goose
- Broadstone Films
- Clement & Pekoe
- Cooper Furniture
- Corleggy Irish Farmhouse Cheese
- Donegal Natural Soap Company
- Donegal Farmhouse Cheese
- Laura Buchanan Designs
- Mike O'Toole Photography
- Na Tithe Gloine
- Ourganics Gardens
- McNutts of Downings
- Paul McGuckin Photography
- Quality Sea Vegetables Burtonport
- Shack Coffee Company
- Syncherchi Kombucha
- Sliabh Liag Distillery
- Jennifer Slattery Textiles
- the pear in paper
- The Veneerist
- White & Green