Lived-in home, replete with character

There is abundant evidence of its owners’ interests in this home, says Tommy Barker.

IN interior terms, there’s the minimalist look — and then there’s the likes of Tig na Carrige, a West Cork home where its owners lived life to the full, and filled their home with evidence of their life passions.

A new market arrival post-Christmas, it’s a busy building, full of nooks and crannies and quirks, and all of them packed. Full of myriad books, opera and classical records, posters, pictures, sculpture, framed certs and collages of work triumphs, all topped off with a kitchen that clearly was the centre of this home, and used by people who knew how to cook.

Renovated in fits and starts over the years, it has a decent 1,700sq ft of atmospheric space, and stands on an acre with several small stone outbuildings and a large polytunnel for food growing - the good life, on a West Cork acre, near Toormore and Schull.

Estate agent Maeve McCarthy of Charles P McCarthy & Co in Skibbereen guides the 19th century property (with a charming, albeit chaotic, layout and charm) at €250,000. Having visited, one can sympathise with the challenge (not accepted in this case) of drawing up a floor plan.

It has two staircases, serving different section of the low two-storey house, with up to four bedrooms, three bathrooms, various lobbies, large 25’ by 12’ living room with old stone firebreast, and a big kitchen/dining annex to the back, 24’ by 15’, with an Aga and overhead Veluxes. It has been re-roofed and changed around so that the traditional look is taken off the exterior, but a real old trad feature kept is the external (additional) stone staircase to the main first floor bedroom, decorated with old horseshoes, one shoe per footfall.

VERDICT: 90 minutes from Cork, 15 from Schull, and near Ballyrisode beach, Tig na Carraige is a refreshing change from minimalism.