Beach promise from these outstanding Kerry homes

THE Irish have taken over as the strongest buyers of quality Irish seaside home. No longer do they go almost automatically to overseas buyers.

And second houses now cost as much or more than many well-off families’ first homes.

Two Kerry houses up for sale promise all the trappings of happy traipses to the beach and in one case, Smerwick, the beaches are literally at the end of the garden.

First up, though, is a smartly-built new home, looking like an extended traditional farm house, a mile and a half from Castlecove on the Ring of Kerry, with beaches a short drive away at Carroll’s Cove, White Strand and, just a bit further, at Derrynane.

Up the hills on a site of an acre with sweeping ocean and mountain views, it has up to 3,000 sq ft of space, five bedrooms with three en suites, and carries a guide price of €700,000 with Caroline Horgan of McCarthy and Morgan financial services in Kenmare. The fact it is a new build also means a stamp duty saving.

Out on the next Kerry peninsula finger up to the north, jutting into the Atlantic, another Kerry home , Cove House at Smerwick, Ballyferriter on the Dingle peninsula is guided at just under the €1 million mark - €995,000 - by Paul Stephenson of Sherry FitzGerald O’Connell.

Built since 1997, the place is heavenly-sited, with direct access to two small rock-fenced beaches, caves on the shoreline, a cliff-top boat house with a point like a bow for crow’s nest views, and a wine cellar in the house.

Built sympathetically with natural materials on an acre site, the house makes use of Douglas Fir and Californian Redwoods, painstakingly cut recycled natural slate, porcelain tiles, Liscannor stone and Valentia slate.

Living spaces include lounge, kitchen, dining room with glazed area, veranda with patio and deck access, master bedroom, with triangular gable windows for Mount Brandon and harbour views, wet room, bathroom, two other bedrooms, study or bedroom four, and heating is by gas, with a bio-red waste system in place.