Delightful cottages can be yours

AUCTIONEER, and part-time racing pundit, Brian Gleeson, enthuses about two properties on his books at the moment.

Both are cottages and come in at a very affordable level for buyers.

“We highly recommend inspection of these two cottages as they are both beautifully located and they offer the opportunistic buyer value for money,” he says.

The first is the real deal — a very cottagey cottage at Ballyquiry, Dungarvan, in the beaten but unbowed county of Waterford. Quaint and cute, it stands on an acre of land with views over the Dungarvan bay, (one of the most stunning aspects in the south-east) and West Waterford Golf Club.

Surrounded by rolling countryside, the cottage is located in a much sought-after area, he says, and is only five minutes’ drive from town.

It comes with a sitting room, with open fireplace, kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom, and is on the market at €225,000.

“This home would make an ideal weekend retreat or permanent address,” says the agent.

And the same applies to this two-bed at Prospect Hall at Kinsalebeg, Youghal.

The main selling point of the cottage is its location overlooking the Blackwater close to Ardmore, one of the most popular seaside resorts in the south-east, and now home to the ultra-chic, Cliff House Hotel, the five-star rebuild of the former Ardmore Bay Hotel by dot-com millionaire, Barry O’Callaghan of Riverdeep.

The hotel and its high-end pitch have already enticed a new type of visitor to the village, originally founded as a monastic settlement by St Declan.

Standing on 0.6 of an acre, the cottage is five minutes from the village and comes with a sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Again, it’s an ideal weekend or holiday retreat, and won’t break the bank at €190,000.