Happy New Year
Happy New Year’s Eve to our family, friends, and wonderful guests.
As 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that brought both unexpected challenges and remarkable highs. The year began under a cloud of uncertainty -weather alerts, lost income, and difficult decisions tested us early on. But nothing could have prepared us for the more personal heartbreak that followed. In the space of just 32 hours, we lost two beloved grandfathers from our home. It was a moment that truly taught us the meaning of loss.
Yet, even in grief, we felt guided. We like to believe that our two new guardian angels were watching over us, because shortly after, opportunities appeared that we could never have imagined back in January. One of those was being selected for the FBD Backing Local Business campaign, something completely outside our comfort zone. It pushed us forward, sparked confidence, and became the beginning of a year filled with growth, learning, and new experiences.
Running a B&B continues to be a lesson in wearing many hats. Increasingly in 2025 we were often mistaken for a hotel, and therefore the unrealistic expectations the label infers, all the while behind the scenes, I balanced everything from accounts, maintenance, housekeeping, breakfast, reception, and everything in between. This year, those roles expanded even further as we navigated an increasingly digital world and at times was overwhelming but I’ve an incredibly team, Louise and Claire, who I’m grateful for and their dedication, support, and commitment to our home.
We took steps to protect our business by trademarking our name after discovering new online sites scraping our details and charging guests up to 50% more than our direct website rates. While challenging, it was an important lesson in standing up for both our guests and our brand. Education and community played a big part in 2025. We completed a course through MTU in Tourism Destination Sustainability, and for a bit of fun we became more involved with the local tourism board, BHE, where I now help manage their digital presence.
On a personal note, our family continues to grow and change. Looking ahead to 2026, two of our four children will be in college and heading to college, and these new chapters bring its own excitement, challenges, and adjustments.
As we look forward, we do so with both optimism and concern. The coming year brings new worries around the increased costs associated with the Short-Term Letting (STL) Act, alongside the ever-rising costs of doing business and the growing weight of regulations on all small, family-run businesses. Those who know me best, know how strongly I believe in circular rural economies, and how concerned I am about the lack of real, hands-on business experience at the heart of many decision-making processes. I continue to worry that policies are often shaped for larger business models without fully understanding the realities faced by small, rural, family-run business. That said, I still hold hope that our sector will be invited into the conversation, so that regulation can be shaped with fairness, balance, and a genuine willingness for small businesses like ours to survive.
To everyone who stayed with us, supported us, recommended us, or simply checked in on us this year, THANK YOU. Your support means more than we can ever express.
Here’s to new beginnings, continued learning, and a hopeful 2026 for you, our family, our business, and the community we are so proud to be part of.
Miriam, Family & Team
Contact
Adresse
The Old Bank B&B,
Main St,
Bruff,
Co. Limerick,
V35 H744,
Ireland
Téléphone
00353 61 389969
