Holiday Homes - and a site to build yuor own - on the market from Wexford to Westport

MOYARD, CO GALWAY €1.25M
CLOONDEROWEN, a 279sq m (3,000sq ft) four-bedroom house on Ballinakill Bay near Letterfrack in north Connemara, has spectacular views of the Paul Henry landscape above.

The property, which fronts onto the bay, has been newly-renovated and extended by its owners to maximise the views of the sea and the Twelve Bens from as many rooms as possible. It has also been fitted out to a very high spec and is in turnkey condition. It is for sale by private treaty for €1.25 million.

The front of the house is off a large paved courtyard, which the agents say is a sheltered suntrap. It opens into a wide hallway with the large timber-floored livingroom overlooking Ballinakill Bay in front. The kitchen/diningroom also has large windows. It has a tiled floor and a centre island and there's a utility room off it. There are three bedrooms with fitted wardrobes downstairs, at the other end of the house and all have views. The main bedroom is en suite. There is another bedroom upstairs, with a tiled en suite, overlooking the lawn and the sea.

The village of Moyard is six miles from Clifden and about two-and-a-half miles from Letterfrack.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Kavanagh

CLIFDEN, CO GALWAY: €750,000
THIS TWO-BEDROOM cottage in the wilds of Connemara is pricey at €750,000 but the two-acre grounds include an original stone cottage which could be refurbished and used for guests. Long term, it might also be possible to divide the land into two separate holdings.

Called Magies Cottage, the property is located in Faul, near Clifden and is owned by David and Noirin
Allen who run a successful antiques business in Clifden. It's set well back from the road, near the middle of its grounds, with great views over Ardbear Bay. The main house is small with a pretty sittingroom leading to a larger kitchen cum diningroom with a terracotta tiled floor, pine units and a Belfast sink.

Agent: O'Brien Auctioneers, Clifden

BROADFORD, CO CLARE: €1.9M
A HOLIDAY home for an entire tribe, or one that could pay its way through holiday lets. Teach Nollaig near Broadford in Co Clare is on the market for ¤1.9 million. The complex of three cottages - one dating back to the 16th century - has been totally refurbished by its owner, a local builder, who has finished the interiors to a lavish degree with lots of exposed stone walls, stripped back timbers and traditional kitchens.

Set on three acres of grounds, the complex is in a quiet rural location in the townland of Fermoyle. The largest of the houses, Teach Ni Breathnach, has 154sq m (1,720sq ft) with four bedrooms and a large  openplan kitchen warmed by a Stanley range. The two remaining houses are smaller, one-bedroom cottages and one of these is the original homestead of the property, with a big open fireplace that dates back to penal times. The cottages are ready to walk into with carpets, curtains and light fittings included.

Agent: deCourcy Estates

ARDAMINE, CO WEXFORD: €650,000
HOUSES with direct access to the beach in popular Ardamine, Co Wexford, don't come on the market too often, which goes some way to explaining the price of this jaunty pink house with steps leading down to the dunes. According to Niall Slattery of Warren Estates which is selling the house, Realt Na Mara, the property also scores high because it is a proper house, rather than a "chalet or an old galvanised thing overlooking the beach". In other words this is a house that can be lived in year round, with central heating, plenty of space, and an open fire.

Another plus, he says, is that it has a good-sized site - around one-third of an acre of good level ground, protected by electronically controlled gates. "It is safe for children, and because the house is set on a height it has magical 180-degree views of the sea," he said. Slattery say that while the market is slow in general and that first-time buyers have all but disappeared, seaside property is still doing well.

Agent: Warren Estates

WESTPORT,CO MAYO: €1M
A 2.4-ACRE waterfront site in Rosbeg, overlooking Clew Bay, near Westport, Co Mayo, has full planning permission for a 465sq m (5,000sq ft) house designed by the American owner, who is an architect. The site has been landscaped, and over 1,000 trees planted. The house design is influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The design features extended roof eaves to a low-pitched roof providing shelter from the elements, and stone on the exterior walls to give texture and protect the dwelling from winter winds. Large areas of glazing are also a feature thereby taking full advantage of the ocean aspect to the west.

Agent: Tuohy O'Toole

FANAD, CO DONEGAL: €295,000
THE VIEWS are the unique selling point of Rinboy, a four-bedroom bungalow near the northernmost tip of the country in Co Donegal. The solid, comfortable-looking family home is about 10 miles from Portsalon and about 30 minutes from Letterkenny.

Accommodation includes a good-sized livingroom, well fitted kitchen-cum-diningroom, and four bedrooms, one en suite. There's a garage, outside patio area - and wild Atlantic sandy beaches on your doorstep.

Agent: Franklins