Round the Dingle corner...

Tommy Barker finds the Round House in Ballydavid has no rough edges.

WINTER can throw up some of the most evocative and moodiest moments on the Dingle peninsula.

Visitors to the Round House, near Ballydavid, can expect to be blown away by the elemental beauty of the location, while the house’s circular construction means you’ll never have the wind whipping around a corner.

Built about 1980 as a bolt-hole from work stresses by a Munster lawyer, it went up for sale in late August of this year as the summer selling season came to a close.

Now, with winter closing in, it may prove to be a shrewd slow-season snip for those aiming to be on location with a toe in the local property market and the Atlantic Ocean for summer 2006.

It has up to 2,500 sq ft of space, trimmed a bit to account for the curves, and it is on two rugged acres with views of the Three Sisters headland and islands: the sea turns to a winter foaming mass, so our August photos give a flavour of its appeal on a sunny day.

Set near Smerwick Harbour and with views also of Murreagh, it has been modelled on crannog-type houses and its stone recalls other ancient structures: Gallarus Oratory comes to mind.

Creative individuals who have come through its portals as paying guests include rock band Snow Patrol, who wrote new songs here over a six-week stay, and Kate Bush in the early 1990s, and the area is steeped in its own musical lore. The house still has a baby grand piano in the main bedroom.

Set into its two-acre site 100 yards from the sea, and near two restaurants, it has a €850,000 guide with Dingle auctioneer, John P Moore, via DNG Giles, who is courting national and international interest.

Round House has 180-degree sea views, and internally the accommodation picture takes in a main open plan lounge, a study/TV area, a kitchen/breakfast room, master bedroom as well as two guest bedrooms, along with a main bathroom, and a utility room.

The sale includes a lot of furniture, electrical items and even art works with local resonances.