VIDEO: Take in harbour and Bandon River views up on millionaires’ row in Kinsale
THERE seems to be no let up in the flood of Kinsale houses with views coming to market, with €1-plus price tags.
Buyers are not only flying in and lining up to inspect, but they are snapping them up too.
One month ago, a rebuilt Scilly home called Ard Na Lir graced these pages, guided at €1.2 million with Sherry FitzGerald.
We tagged the US-owned Ard na Lir as ‘one with international appeal’, and it’s already gone sale agreed, for a tidy bit over its guide, price, bought by an overseas purchaser.
Last Saturday these pages featured the architecturally extravagant 3,000 sq ft contemporary three-bed, Bridgehill up the River Bandon from Kinsale at Barrell’s Cross, at €1.2 million with Sherry Fitz, and when visiting there we also called to Empat, at Ardbrack.... muscling in on a viewing to a UK man searching for a Kinsale purchase in the same elevated price league.
Empat launches this November with its €1.1 million guide, again for US owners who’ve had it for many years, making good, yet part-time only use of it.
It was architect-designed back in the 1970s, and while a few interior touches reflect that decade, it’s still a fine home, on an even finer site with garage on a lower sloping site portion, and which has parking on its roof.
Emapt’s design rightly made all the best use of the setting, site, aspect and views: in many ways, its guiding design principles were no different than what today’s architects will trumpet as best practice, and there’s a modernity still to its mono-pitch and assymetrical roof pitches and double height spaces, and the way it backs into its sloping site, best rooms all up front.
It is the views from here that will sell it first and foremost, and Empat is in exalted company, in a section of Ardbrack’s priciest real estate, a pricey patch of Kinsale where buyers think nothing of knocking and rebuilding if a pad isn’t up to scratch, or good enough to match the quality of the vistas.
Empat looks out on the full panoply and pleasures of Kinsale harbour.
Directly in front is James Fort over at Castle Park, and the tidal section of the Bandon river wends its way from here past the bridge.
To the right is Kinsale itself, its harbour, marinas and boating and shipping and fishing activity, and off the other direction is Summercove, Charles Fort, and the mouth of Kinsale harbour, Atlantic to follow.
On a sunny day, it will be jaw-dropping, in a gale it will be spectacular and elemental.
Right now, it shows as a well-kept and comfortable home, on part-split levels and with a linked main living room and dining, separated by just two internal steps and by a central large chimney breast in stone.
There’s a high, pitched ceiling and almost a feel of a ski chalet to this c 450 sq ft of living space thanks to exposed timber joists.
But, given that this is Kinsale and not Klosters, any skiiing being done will be behind a speed boat, in the outer harbour.
At one stage, there would have been an open mezzanine up here under the sloping roof’s higher side, but Empat’s owners instead closed it off, as a fourth/guest bedroom, reached by an open tread stairs in the lofty hall
The far, southern end of the long bungalow has three bedrooms, all to the fore for the vistas, and the master bedroom is double sized, with dressing area and en suite/shower room tucked away to the back.
Also sensibly put to the rear of the house is the main family bathroom, which features a wooden sauna.
Other ‘service’ rooms out back include a guest WC, utility room and the relatively modest-sized 11’ by 9’ kitchen with plain white units.
This kitchen is perfectly serviceable, but those into their cuisine style and cheffery might want to update/upgrade, or even relocate or knock through so that they’re not out of sight, out of mind, or view.
: Lots of boxes ticked for lots of bucks
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Ardbrack setting gives some of the very best views in Kinsale
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