Be a monarch of the glen

Tommy Barker

The Courtyard is on the market with an asking price of E875,000, says selling agent Peter Cave of Hamilton Osborne King. The house has been extended and upgraded and is being vacated by its owners of the past five years, who are re-locating to the UK.

The Courtyard ticks all the right boxes for buyers. Situated on the Cork side of Glengarriff, it has a private, wooded site of three-quarters of an acre, sea frontage, views of Garnish and Calf Islands and a boat mooring for good measure.

It's also close to the Bamboo Park visitor attraction, which itself went on the market 18 months ago including 12 acres of bamboo, ferns, and palms with a 4 million asking price. The selling agent there was Dominic Daly.

The Glengarriff coastline is truly special with a microclimate warmed by the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift and has always attracted a niche visitor.

The Victorian Eccles Hotel, with its confection of wrought-iron balconies, recalls Glengarriff's 20th century tourist appeal while the OPW-tended Garnish Island, with its Italianate gardens, has the 21st century allure of a holiday abroad for the price of a short ferry-boat ride.

Only a handful of high-quality houses go on sale in Glengarriff each year and the buying market is diverse. Traditionally, the best houses here were owned by British and Continentals who snapped them up in the 1960s.

But now there's an indigenous Irish demand giving all-comers a run for their money. A recent case in point is the German-adapted bungalow Villa Astrid on 16 inland acres, which is back on the market after a E1 million sale fell through. It's now going with a E990,000 price guide from Henry O'Leary Property Partners in Clonakilty.

So, who will come out of the woodwork for The Courtyard an Irish buyer or someone from further afield? "You wouldn't want for a better quality property," says Peter Cave of HOK. "This has been very well up-graded by its owners in the last few years, it has almost 3,000 sq ft of space and is extremely private."

An architect's input is evident in the adaptations and in the way glazed sections have been opened up to make the very best of the shoreline views.

There's a uniform high quality of finish in this house. Accommodation stretches to four en suite bedrooms, one suitable as a guest annex, quality painted wood kitchen with granite tops, central island and double Belfast sinks, vaulted dining room, a 29 x 15ft sitting room with a glass ceilinged sun room off it and a raised balcony, TV room, office and laundry.

Notable features apart, that is, from the spectacular views and a location second to none include zoned heating, double-glazing and oil heating, as well as good fireplaces, some with cast-iron stoves, alarm, a garage with wine racks and access to a private beach.