Tommy Barker says this holiday home in west Cork’s Owenahincha has its own unique charm and a wonderfully warming wood-burning stove.

In the glory days of the 70s and 80s Owenahincha was a buzzing holiday hotspot. Tommy Barker visits a very different place today, yet there may be signs of a brighter future for this faded beauty

ONE thing I noted after moving to Ireland from England 20 years ago was the delight people showed on discovering that my ancestry didn’t peter out at a disappointing dead end in London, but could be traced back to Ireland — my father’s birthplace — in a short, straight line.

CRISIS? What crisis? Housebuyers are ignoring warnings of a price shock to the Irish house market, and are voting with their cheque books.