Privacy set in stone

ELECTRIC entrance gates are designed to keep the unwanted out — but they can also lock you in.

Cuan Dor Haven in Glandore is probably West Cork’s only ‘gated community’ to date, and the 12 detached stone-faced homes within are privately secured from prying eyes without, by a sternly-gated electronic entrance.

A few years this reporter took a chance for a peek around when the gates swung open as a resident’s large car emerged: they clanged shut as soon as entry was gained. It took forlorn, and then dashed, hopes of motion sensors on the inside to try to open them, finally followed by an embarrassed knock on the door of one of the houses to gain freedom again. Investigative reporting it ain’t, really.