Lakeside luxury

BECAUSE we live in this country, we tend not to look upon it in the way that a tourist might - and that's a pity.

Take The Hidden Ireland, for example, this small group of 30 or so historic country home owners offer accommodation on a high, but very affordable level.

The properties runs the gamut from imposing, 1,000-acre estates to smaller gentlemen's residences in all parts of the island.

And it's very low-key stuff while still offering a good service to guests.

One of these Hidden Ireland properties is now up for sale for offers in the region of €1.3 million in one of the country's top tourist destinations.

Glendalough House is a lodge on the edge of Caragh Lake in Co Kerry. Hidden behind lush woodland and sitting on a splendid site of three and a half acres of utterly private grounds, the property is on the market with Michael Coghlan of Sherry FitzGerald Coghlan in Killarney.

While the house was placed quietly on the market with Sotheby's last year, it's seen exclusively national interest since it was launched publicly three weeks ago, says Mr Coghlan. And he adds that many of those who've viewed it intend to purchase the property as a private residence.

Rescued from dereliction in the early 1980s by its owner, Josephine Roder-Bradshaw, this very Victorian house dates from 1840. It has lots of gables and an intricate roof line which makes for an interesting interior.

The main house has a huge reception and dining room, a conservatory, kitchen and seven bedrooms, along with a number of ancillary rooms.

The mews to the back has been converted to self-catering accommodation and has two en suite bedrooms, a living room at first-floor level and a kitchen and utility on the ground floor. These rooms would be ideal as guest accommodation or for independent relatives, if the house were to return to private use.

The double garage in the same block could be absorbed to create more space, if needed.

The grounds of 3.5 acres wrap around Glendalough House and come with some superb specimen plantings and a high, walled garden with maturing trees and vegetable beds.

An important feature is a gated woodland walk that leads directly to a public pier on Caragh Lake.

Plants thrive in the micro-climate of the lake, says Ms Bradshaw, who also has a separate fruit garden with glasshouses at the back of the house.

But now she's gearing down and retiring from the business, which also means Glendalough House.

When Ms Bradshaw arrived at Glendalough with ideas for setting up a country guest house, it was necessary to modify the house to include en suite bathrooms, but she maintained the purity of its period.

She also replaced the sash windows on the ground floor and searched auction rooms throughout Munster for appropriate furniture.

The house is now full of old pieces: all of the beds are antique mahogany and pictures, prints and paintings adorn the walls. Much of this inventory will remain with the house, says Michael Coughlan.

It's a one-off property and that exclusive cohort of million euro holiday home purchasers could give Glendalough House some thought. And let's not forget those who also see a valuable commercial entity in this very typical, Irish country house.