Down by the riverside

TWO miles up the Bandon river from Kinsale in Co Cork is a renovated Georgian home, Sleepy Hollow, complete with access to a tidal estuary beach.

Bought in a pretty raw state five year ago by a Scottish/Irish couple who had relocated from the US, this 1850 house on an acre has considerably benefited from their skills. He’s in construction and she has a background in interior design with a shop in Kinsale.

Purists might quibble with the replacement of windows with PVC double glazing, but the upside is extra comfort. Sleepy Hollow has huge comfort and convenience factors.

Its newly-added sun room, installed between two wings or arms of the 2,600 sq ft house, has real ‘bend in the river views’ and up and down the River Bandon river, with the ‘new’ bridge to Castlepark visible to the distant left. There are five sets of large picture windows, including patio doors.

One of the quieter back roads from Kinsale to Innishannon runs around this river bend, just separating Sleepy Hollow’s acre from the river, but the property comes with a riverside patch with easy access along a shingle bank.

Keeping a small dinghy here and having a larger boat out on a mooring is an easy option, say estate agents Ron Kruger and Nadja Franke of Kinsale-based franchise Engel & Volkers. They seek a premium price for the property, launching it for sale at €2.45 million.

At that level they may well be hoping for an overseas buyer, and in fact that – and relocators – has been a traditional source of some of Kinsale’s strongest sales.

It is in fairly close proximity to Ballinacurra House, the Bandon backwater hideaway house favoured by corporate callers and many of the reclusive rich and famous – Michael Jackson and children were its highest profile guests two summers ago.

Sleepy Hollow, reached along a cobbled drive past strong cast iron electronic gates, has enough outdoor space for lawns, play areas, colourful planting, quiet sitting out and a great barbecue space.

The house has three bedrooms, with a large en suite master bedroom with triple aspect and balcony for views, while a second large bedroom has a balcony big enough to sit out on. All three bathrooms are done to a high but individual standard, while the kitchen has an obligatory Aga.

Interior finishes include select wallpapers, deep velvets in the antique-styled guest loo, walnut and marble flooring, and deep upholstered window seats, with the central hall cleverly made useful as a study/library.