Trading Up: Union Hall, West Cork €265,000

A five minute walk from this Skahana (or Skahanagh) Union Hall bungalow home will take you to the safe, shingle beach and boat slip at pretty Carrigillihy Strand, a West Cork spot much loved by locals and home to an appreciative permanent and holiday-home community.

Skibbereen estate agent Pat Maguire is now selling this three-bed detached bungalow on a half-acre site, within a walk of the beach to the south, and Union Hall’s only a mile or so away in the other direction, with schools, shops, bars and other services, as well as sports amenities.

Given its attributes, a buyer for this home could come from a cross-section, those on the hunt for holiday homes (and there’s talk of further sales releases soon in the up-market Union Hall scheme Páirc na Fana), local families, and those thinking of retiring and seeking a rural and coastal community to settle into.

This single storey house has views to fresh water at Loughilly, and towards the sea at Carrigillihy from one of its two living rooms, and there’s also a kitchen/diner, and three bedrooms all with built-ins, plus bathrooms, as well as Stira attic access.

Externally, there’s a garage and stores, with washroom.

VERDICT: Lovely setting