House of the week

IF the stone walls of this eco-friendly west Cork house could talk, they’d sing. Or, maybe they’d beat a bodhran, or mix passion, pathos and poetry on a guitar, for this place has been a retreat and contemplative space for Ireland’s greatest troubadour, Christy Moore.

Moore, who featured on our TV screens just last month in an hour-long interview and song special with Gay Byrne, is this month quietly putting his Ahakista home on the market.

Christy Moore, as much as his other Ahakista celebrity neighbour, Graham Norton, is reportedly allergic to media references to his regular presence on this spectacularly beautiful and quiet west Cork peninsula, on the Sheep’s Head. But, that’s not the reason for the planned sale; 66-year old Christy and his family just aren’t getting as much use out of it as before.