In Irish mythology, Ireland’s seventh-largest lake – Lough Conn – takes its name from the legend of when Irish legendary hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill was hunting with his hounds, Conn and Cullin. The tale tells of how the hounds – in pursuit of a wild boar – kept running for days until a lake appeared. Conn drowned and a second body of water took Cullin. Both Lough Conn and Lough Cullin are said to take their names from these two mythical hounds in this quiet, undiscovered part of north Co Mayo.
Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, along with joint agent Sherry FitzGerald Feeney West, has just launched Castleterry Cottage, a lakeside residence on the southwestern shores of Lough Conn, to the market. Then again, at 193sq m (2,077sq ft), it’s hardly a cottage in the real sense of the word. Part of the house – the original cottage – was once home to two bachelors who subsequently sold their home before 2010, when a contemporary two-storey extension was added to the traditional original building.
The current owners purchased the lakeside property in 2022, as they were renovating nearby and needed a place to call home while works were being executed. It appears on the Property Price Register as having sold that year for €754,000. Now reluctantly selling, as their own home is completed, they have placed this little slice of heaven on the market seeking €950,000.
The house, at the end of a country lane in the little hamlet of Terrybaun – about a five-minute drive to the village of Laherdane and about 25 minutes to the town of Ballina – has undergone renovations since it was last on the market in 2022.
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Current owners engaged architect Rachael Chidlow of Paul Keogh Architects to oversee renovations in which all bathrooms were replaced, as was the interior decor. New insulation was added – that now gives an improved Ber of C3 – while the family also undertook extensive landscaping of the five-acre grounds.
The property is inverted, whereby the three bedrooms are on the ground floor with a livingroom and kitchen/diningroom upstairs, in order to take full advantage of the remarkable lakeside views. There’s also a raised south-facing balcony and deck off this open-plan space that the brochure describes as being akin to “a dream-like treehouse retreat” due to the mature trees surrounding the site.
The living space, designed for both daily living and entertaining (the dining area seats 12), is warmed by a wood-burning stove, while the kitchen itself is served by a pantry, allowing the space to be streamlined and the focus to be on the views.
A further livingroom lies on the ground floor, adjacent to a laundry room, airing room, family bathroom and third bedroom. Both other bedrooms are en suite while the principal, which has lovely views to the lake, has a walk-in wardrobe.
Decor is a simple neutral palette, with off-white walls and wooden flooring giving a timeless feel to the place. The views and its spectacular setting overlooking the lake will be the clincher for new owners looking for a complete rural lakeside hideaway.
Far from the madding crowd, the house is surrounded by five acres of mature and well-planted grounds, making it feel like a part of the natural setting it occupies. Nestled into mature woodlands that provide shelter from the western shores of Lough Conn, there is ample room to raise a few chickens, keep small livestock and indeed cultivate a vegetable garden to your heart’s desire.
Owners swim in the lake, which is famed for its brown trout and salmon. It extends to 14.5km from north to south and has 14,000 acres of water – so you’ll probably never meet another soul on the lake – should fishing be your passion. Mayfly season (mid-April to June) draws anglers from all over the world, while salmon fishing, primarily by trolling, is best from the end of March to July.
The property takes its name from a medieval castle, Castleterry, a ruin since the late 19th century that hides here surrounded by trees and thicket. Legend has it that a tragic romance saw a local girl elope with her lover to live at the castle. Apparently her brothers, unhappy with their sister’s defiance of their father’s wishes, cut the head off her lover and cast it into the castle. She in turn took to the lake, never to be seen again.
While mythologies of the lake may or may not be true in terms of hounds, lovers and brothers, there is no denying what is for sale here: a lovely rural lakeside retreat where you can fish for your supper with vegetables from your garden and enjoy the calmness and tranquillity of this undiscovered spot in north Mayo.
