Trading up: Cobh, Co Cork €450,000

Sq m: (2,500 sq ft)

There’s an air of architectural distinction to the large family home called Taormina, possibly called after the high-rolling Sicilian seaside and hillside holiday resort.

And, thanks to its setting on the Valley road at Cork Harbour’s Great Island /Cobh, a new owner of this home will have the option of bathing or boating at nearby Cuskinny bay and its sublime bird sanctuary, home each year to Derek Mooney’s live broadcast dawn chorus.

Cobh’s Taormina is for sale with agent Timothy Sullivan in Cork, in association with Johanna Murphy in Cobh, and he guides at €450,000.

That’s for a distinctive two-storey plus attic home of over 2,500 sq ft, on a very nice site of three-quarters of an acre, and design features of the detached home include acute-angled bay windows, and apex windows under the roof ridges at either end: in fact, the same glazing touch is applied to the roof of the quite large detached garage as well.

It’s a quality mature home several decades old (things like a fireplace in the hallway always sets a nice tone) and some rooms have Junkers flooring, while two of the four bedrooms have en suites. There would be harbour views with a bit of judicious tree topping, it’s suggested.

VERDICT: Ideal for Cuskinny dips.