Wide open spaces and a builder’s finish

INITIALLY, families trading up the property ladder wanted more room for the children. Now, in affluent Ireland, the children in question want land for their ponies.

A house to fit the bill is in Ballinascarthy in west Cork, the birth place of one Henry Ford, and close enough too to Lisselane, the home turf of Cheltenham winner Imperial Call.

The house’s three acres will be the key to its appeal for buyers, according to estate agents Henry O’Leary Property Partners: “It’s increasingly hard to find new homes on this much ground,” observes Mr O’Leary.