Renovated and extended farmhouse a rustic idyll

SLEEPY HOLLOW is the name of a house in west Cork, and is not to be mistaken for the 1970s Cork blues band.

And in a way, this is the sort of property that old hippies, (who now run companies and drive Mercedes) might retire to, a 1850s renovation job outside Schull.

On two acres, with its own babbling brook, Sleepy Hollow is being sold lock, stock and barrel by Elaine Spillane of Peninsula Properties for €550,000.

This includes a decent-sized kitchen with Aga and sympathetic country-style units — and the rest of the house follows a similar style.

The slate-floored living room has cream furniture and the bedrooms are all painted white, with patchwork quilts and old cast-iron bedsteads giving a feminine touch to this extended farmhouse.

The grounds include a number of stone outhouses, which are presently used for storage, one of which could be used as a guest cottage or studio, says Ms Spillane.

There is a half-acre meadow which could have development potential, she says, and the rest of the grounds have mature trees and shrubs and include a rustic bridge over the stream.

Located at Lowertown, the house is just a five-minute drive from Schull, on the Toormore road, and an equally short drive to the local beaches.

The property is in mint condition, says the agent, and new owners will be able to move in straight away without having to do any work at all.