Ballymaloe House in County Cork has been named one of the world's best hotels by Condé Nast Traveller, a leading UK travel magazine.
The hotel in Shanagarry, east Cork, is the only Irish property to win a position on the travel publication's Gold List 2015.
Ballymaloe's Hazel Allen said she was delighted by the accolade, which places her hotel among the winners spanning six continents and 34 countries: "We’re delighted with it," she said. "And to be the only hotel in Ireland on the list is just fantastic."
"I think the [recently published negative] AA Gill review was a once-off," she added. "Nowhere is going to be right for everyone and I think we just weren’t what he was expecting.
"We’ve been getting lots of great reviews lately so we’re very happy with what we’re doing. It's been a terrific year and this is definitely a great start to 2015."
