BB but no tea for Daniel and Majellas Bantry Bay trip

WHEN Daniel O’Donnell and his wife Majella came to stay at Josephine Walsh’s ‘Edencrest’ B&B in Bantry, the biggest shock for Josephine was the fact that Daniel doesn’t drink tea.

‘I actually gave him a tea cosy as a present and was surprised when he told me that he doesn’t drink tea,’ Josephine Walsh told The Southern Star.

‘Edencrest’ has the distinction of being the only Cork B&B to feature in the new UTV television series, ‘Daniel and Majella’s B&B Road Trip’. 

The series, which started two weeks ago, will feature the sights of Bantry next Monday, (November 9th) showing Daniel and his wife Majella’s stay at ‘Edencrest’, run by Josephine and her husband Barry.

‘My grown-up children thought I was mad when I said I was going to apply for it after we got a mail shot from Fáilte Ireland asking B&B owners to apply. It involved filing out an application form and then I had to make a 60 second video about why I wanted Daniel and Majella to stay at my B&B,’ said Josephine.

‘Thankfully, I got through to the next round in the process and was then told that a film crew would come to ‘Edencrest’ to film the real deal. I was really nervous about this and what I did was to try to sell the package of Bantry and not just the B&B. I got friends and neighbours to call, along with people from The Stuffed Olive, and had musicians there too. I think the crew were gobsmacked at the turnout.’

It was late in June that Josephine got the call from the producers of the show that she was successful in the process and then it was ‘panic stations’ as she and Barry prepared for the arrival of the celebrity couple.

‘We wanted everything to be perfect for their stay and then I was wondering what I would wear on the day and the film crew also wanted to shoot me shopping in Bantry on Market Day,’ added Josephine.

When Daniel and Majella arrived at ‘Edencrest,’ they were given a chance to chat and relax with Josephine while the camera crew left them alone.

‘They were so nice and they came into the living room and we chatted and I made dinner for them.’

But Josephine was surprised that Daniel – whose late Mum was famous for her own tea-making for guests – wasn’t a fan of the brew himself, at least not of Jospehine’s ‘flowering tea’.

When Josephine offered them a ‘flowering bulb’ tea in a glass teapot, she said: ‘I think Daniel nearly died because I put the bulb into the glass teapot and it opened up like a flower. He thought it looked like an alien. However, Majella did drink it while he declined.’ Daniel then went to mass in Glengarriff and when he came back they shared stories that night. 

The following morning, when the film crew came back, Josephine, along with Daniel and Majella, went paddle boarding in Bantry Bay, something the three of them had never tried before.

‘We had great fun in the water and after that we walked around the town and people got to meet them both. They then came back to the house and left for their next destination. I was drained after the whole experience but it was brilliant all the same to have them staying,’ said Josephine.

‘Daniel & Majella’s B&B Road Trip’ to Bantry will be on UTV on Monday November 9th at 8pm.