A better class of place

THE lakes of Killarney, Galway Bay and the hills of Donegal are all well-known landmark destinations - but you can find peaceful locations where life ticks along slowly without a hint of honky tonk.

Big tourist buses aren't really the thing in Lismore, an elegant and quiet place. It has a much higher class of visitor; witness Charles and Camilla's visit last year.

Strikingly beautiful, it's not a typical Irish town because it has a fairytale castle in its midst which rather gives credence to the description of the Blackwater Valley as the Irish Rhine.

And it's not many Irish towns that have the level of sophistication on offer in this west Waterford village.

Chic cafes sit alongside old-fashioned butcher shops and there's a tapas bar or two amongst the traditional pubs.

Sitting alongside the Vee is this extended farm cottage and courtyard called the Old Byre and it offers the chance to buy into the Lismore lifestyle for downsizers or holiday home buyers for around €450,000.

Derrick Connolly of Property Team Lewis Connolly is the agent here and he goes into paroxysms of purple prose to describe this property.

Owned by an interior decorator, (the dried hops wound round exposed beams might give a hint), the 200 year plus building is done up in high, cottage style, which will certainly appeal to the romantics in the buying public.

Just two and half miles from Lismore, this property stands on two and a half acres of manicured grounds, with paddock for a pony or two and three stables.

And apart from the horsey accommodation, the house is in top nick having been fully renovated by its owners.

There are three bedrooms here and two bathrooms and they are all good doubles while the reception rooms are also generous in size.

These include a dining room of 15' by 14', a lounge of 16' by 15' with cathedral ceiling and a kitchen breakfast room with painted cabinets and solid wood worktop.

A dresser is also include and the sink comes with garbage disposal (being marketed very heavily now in face of new waste regulations), top quality appliances and retro fittings.

There are lots of added extras here: the grounds include a greenhouse, orchard, veggie garden and stone-walled parterres with pathways.

Then there are the outbuildings which are presently used as an office and playroom, and there is a tack room alongside the stables.

The Old Byre has French doors to a large patio which takes in the Knockmealdowns and the Vee.

A drive through the mountains at this time of year is superb - the hills are alive with blooming rhododendron and, if you've never been, then there's a treat in store.