1. An Culu
Dromore, Kenmare, Co Kerry
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Game of the Thrones may be over, but this grand castle (above) on Kenmare Bay has all the allure of a modern-day Highgarden for those who have the means. Built in the noughties by a UK businessman who wanted to recreate the ultimate Irish castle but with every modern comfort, An Culu comes with all the trimmings you might expect for a baronial getaway: a moat and a drawbridge, turrets and towers, lavishly draped bedrooms, a grotto-style swimming pool in the dungeon and gas-fired torches that can be activated by remote control to impress your guests. And a sizeable price drop since the property first went on the market 12 years ago asking €15 million.
Asking €4.5 million
Agent Savills
2. Pier Cottage
Colla Harbour, Schull, Co Cork
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Overlooking Schull harbour, with Roaringwater Bay in the distance, Pier Cottage, Colla has been a quiet getaway spot for its English owners for many years, but they've now decided to sell up through Skibbereen agent Charlie McCarthy. Colla is a quiet harbour about 4km from bustling Schull, but it's not isolated – there's a small community of mainly holiday homes dotted around the shorefront.
Pier Cottage has a prime position at the mouth of the harbour and comes with an additional parcel of seafront land that brings the total holding up to 2.2 acres. The house itself is a traditional farmhouse renovated some decades ago, with around 120sq m of living space, now in need of refurbishment. There's plenty of scope to extend given the amount of garden around the house, and naturally there's room for a boat or two to go fishing or for trips to Long Island, which lies in the bay.
Asking €675,000
Agent Charlie McCarthy
3. 1 Bank Terrace
Ramelton, Co Donegal
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Set high above the River Lennon in the Georgian village of Ramelton – one of Co Donegal's prettiest – and at the mouth of the river on the western shores of Lough Swilly, this house at 1 Bank Terrace channels a very polished version of shabby chic, from the dresser in the kitchen to the iron frames in all of its four bedrooms.
It's a 50m stroll to a classic pub with music and good food. Its location is bang in the heart of the action, meaning you can leave the car behind. Rathmullan, where the Irish chieftains departed Ireland in what's known as the Flight of the Earls, is a short but very scenic drive away, as is the circuit of Mulroy Bay, recently mapped by Fáilte Ireland as a Wild Atlantic Way detour. The property now measures 137sq m (1,474sq ft).
Asking €230,000
Agent Property Partners Paul Reynolds
4. Cloughbrack Upper
Cloughbrack, Clonbur, Co Galway
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Situated in the wilds of Connemara, this sandstone-fronted cottage is set on an elevated site overlooking Lough Mask to the rear and with some views of Lough Corrib from the front, the boundary lines between Mayo and Galway crossing the middle of each lake.
The four-bedroom property has pine floors throughout and two of its four bedrooms on the ground floor. The other two are upstairs under the eaves. Its lattice windows have pretty shutters painted a scallion green, with the exterior window surrounds painted a soft rose pink. Galway city is a 75-minute drive on one of the country's most scenic commutes. Clonbur, about 6km away, is the nearest place you can buy a pint of milk. The house measures 135sq m (1,453sq ft).
Asking €199,000
Agent Property Partners Emma Gill
5. Studio Skellig
Aghort, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry
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If you've dreamed of a retreat away from the hustle of city life, then Studio Skellig, a former corrugated steel shed with views framing Skellig Michael (one of the country's two World Heritage Sites), could be worth a look. Its artist owners have reimagined its original form by adding creature comforts such as underfloor heating and lofty ceiling heights, and have let nature's beauty do its thing. From the gable wall of glass you can watch the sun drop from view behind Lemon Rock, Skellig Beag and Skellig Michael.
Its owners, artists Colette Nolan and Billy Foley, both members of Cork Artists' Collective, found the place in 2000 and have replaced its rusted original roof with a more contemporary, insulated aluminium Kingspan version that is also acoustically insulated to keep out the sound of the wind and rain howling – as it does in winter. They kept the original timber trusses and added a bedroom and bathroom to the back of the building, with the master bedroom set at mezzanine level. All told, the property extends to 218sq m (2,346sq ft) of space, and the next owner might prefer to install a third bedroom where the artists' studio is at the centre of the building.
Asking €450,000
Agent Engel & Voelkers
6. Annagh Cottage and Lodge
Kilmore, Co Roscommon
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This residence is all about its lakeside setting, where the owner has built what agent Joe Brady says is "the finest private harbour" he has ever seen, on Lough Corry. From the lough you can sail all the way to Limerick, so this is a bolt-hole that will appeal to boat lovers – although there are also just over 8 acres of grounds.
Its German engineer-turned-property developer owner has retained the cottage charm of the main house, but has extended it, adding insulation to deliver a B3 Ber rating. The property comprises two houses. The main house has two bedrooms as well as a games room that could be a third bedroom, and there is a second guest house where you can have people to stay without feeling the need to entertain them 24/7. The two properties combined extend to 299sq m (3,218sq ft).
Asking €770,000
Agent REA Brady
7. Cuing More
Pontoon, Co Mayo
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This completely modernised thatched cottage is chocolate-box pretty and situated just beyond Pontoon, a beautiful part of north Mayo that is a fisherman's paradise – and indeed it is a fisherman that owns this property. The house is tucked in 150 metres from the main road in a heavily wooded area and near the shoreline of not one but two lakes: Lough Cullin and Lough Conn, considered Ireland's premier wild brown trout fishery.
Its owner keeps his two clinkerbuilt lake boats in the large, detached garage. It has two bedrooms and an attic room that kids will love, as well as tongue-and-groove vaulted ceilings in the original part of the property. It now measures about 100sq m (1,076sq ft) over two floors.
Asking €285,000
Agent Tuohy O'Toole
8. The Lock House
Lower Tinnahinch, Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny
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You can watch otters and water birds glide by this Wind in the Willows-style cottage on a a dreamy stretch of the Barrow about a mile from Graiguenamangh and majestic Duiske Abbey. Dating from 1770, the cottage would once have been home to a lock-keeper whose job it was was operate the locks and keep traffic moving through the canal.
The house is accessed from a private road and it's rather compact inside: just 56sq m (603sq ft). The interior does need work but the river views and tranquil setting are magical, and while it might seem remote, there's a constant trickle of walkers taking the grassy pathway to St Mullins, where the canalside Mullichain Cafe does a roaring trade all day long.
Asking €145,000
Agent Sherry FitzGerald McDermott
9. Cottage at Cloonagh
Ballinfull, Co Sligo
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A writer's cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way could tick many a box for an artist wishing to get away from it all. This homestead sitting directly above the foreshore was home for many years to the writer Leland Bardwell, who died in 2016. An influential figure on the Irish literary scene, Bardwell established the Irish Writers' Co-operative with Desmond Hogan, Neil Jordan and Steve McDonagh, and set up the literary festival Scríobh in her adopted Sligo.While living in her cottage she wrote her memoir A Restless Life, a poetry collection and a play, Jocasta, which was produced by Blue Raincoat theatre company on the rocks by the sea near the cottage.
Located about 10 miles from Sligo town, Barwell's cottage has glorious views towards Benbulben and Inishmurray Island, but inside it's a rather underwhelming home that could now do with a complete rethink. Sitting on more than half an acre, there's potential to extend and reimagine the layout to take advantage of the stunning setting. The property is set for auction in Sligo on May 30th.
Asking AMV of €140,000 prior to auction on May 30th
Agent DM Auctions
