Tinakilly has a lovely garden and spectacular views of the water from spacious bedrooms. You can decide for yourself if that makes up for the following:

Our standard double room was furnished as I would imagine a 2 star hotel would be furnished, serviceable but not attractive, designed for three people with its one large bed and one small bed. They have eliminated bars of soap, shampoo, and shower gel and instead installed dispensers by each fixture containing one potion for all three uses. The bar service was exceedingly slow. They turned a simple martini into something blue, sparkling, served in a tall glass with an umbrella, and bad tasting. The restaurant service was also slow. Most of the food was ordinary. My husband's steak was covered in a foul smelling cheese. My last impression of the day was turning down the bed that night and the sight of three spots of fresh red blood on my pillowcase.

We visited Tinakilly House in Summer,2001. The Hotel itself is beautiful, with fine, large bedrooms, well-appointed sitting rooms, etc. The location, south of Dublin, is good, with many local sites of interest.
However, the staff at this hotel was NOT very friendly or helpful. We found this most unusual for Ireland. As an American, I also found the upper-crust European guests to be stuffy and overbearing; again, unusual for Ireland. My wife and I traveled with our two teenaged sons who are actually quite well-behaved. The staff and guests, however, looked at them with disdain. There were NO other children there. Strange...
I would give Tinakilly house a "1" except for its exceptional beauty.