Enjoy Italian inspiration in Blarney

VERONA Cottage is the Romeo and Juliet name given to a nearly-new, three-bedroom bungalow at Coolowen, Blarney, in Co Cork.

The house is set on a large site and close to the village, which is set for a residential housing boom over the next seven years. Blarney will become increasingly attractive for commuters in the future, so for about €380,000, buyers can get in early on the upswing in the rural outskirts of the village.

Donal Cronin of Thomas J O'Driscoll is the selling agent for Verona. It comes with above average extras like a home automation system and a central vacuum piped to the garage, an internal alarm system with external cameras, a laundry chute from the upper floor to the utility, and plans for an extension, if needed.

Just completed, the house has rustic maple flooring in the main sitting/dining room of 30 ft by 15ft, a solid maple kitchen and a separate shower room and utility. The sale includes a separate garage which has its own electric feed.

Not too far away from Coolowen, is Upper Killeens, Blarney, where Valerie Quirke of Sherry FitzGerald, is selling a period farmhouse for offers in excess of €440,000.

With lots of character and space, this home is in good condition, she says, and has a site of a quarter of an acre close to the Sunset Ridge Hotel. A new estate is being built behind the property.

This farmhouse is five minutes from Blackpool and could be a design project for new owners as the bones are good and it's ready to move into.

It comes with three reception rooms, (one with original Connemara fireplace), a kitchen with Rayburn stove, five overhead bedrooms and bathroom, garage and carport.