Sublime sea views from €750k Kilcredan home

Every day can be a beach day at this luxury house with seaside views

Réalt na Mara, Ladysbridge, Co. Cork

Garryvoe, Co Cork
€750,000
Size	380sq m (4,090sq ft)
Bedrooms	7
Bathrooms	5
BER	B2

The main ask of their architect when planning a seven-bedroom home on a site at Kilcredan near Garryvoe was that at its heart, it would have a good-sized kitchen that gets the light throughout the day.

Well, that box is definitely ticked. The sunny sea-facing kitchen with warm sea-blue cabinetry and a wood-burning stove is a really welcoming spot say the owners, former teachers Michael and Helen.

Their other ask -for beach access and sea views - was already sorted with the site: the house sits on one acre, a short walk from popular beaches such as Ballinwilling and a little way along from Garryvoe beach itself.

And in a nice coincidence, the owners of Réalt na Mara at Kilcredan in Ladysbridge found out that the site had formerly been the location for a small national school many years previously.

Built in 2004, this spacious one-and-a-half storey home with a B2 energy rating is on the market for €750,000 now as the owners are downsizing towards Midleton.

“It’s been a fantastic house and we love walking the dog on the beach every day but it would be lovely to see a family living here again now,” the owners said.

The gardens around the house are landscaped with Norwegian maple, birch, escallonia, ornamental grasses, lavender, and fuschia, with electric gates at the entrance.

The sea views have been glorious over the past summer of course, but it can be blustery at the coast too, so there’s triple glazing to keep things cosy.

A favourite spot is the mezzanine area above the foyer entrance, where six roof windows look out over to Ballycotton Island and across the bay.

“That’s a great place to read or listen to music it’s a nice quiet area and it’s lovely to be able to see the lighthouse from here,” says Michael who’s originally from Midleton.

The interior paintwork is an attractive mix of soft marram grass-green, warm sand colours, and sky and sea blues: “We got good advice on paint from Pat McDonnell paints who do a great colour consultancy.”

Buyers with younger children would be nicely catered for here; the 300-pupil Kilcredan National School, which has 12 mainstream classes and a special class for pupils with an autism diagnosis, is a two-minute drive or 1.3km walk away.

Réalt na Mara, Ladysbridge

You’re also a half-hour spin from Midleton, as well as being on the right side of the city for jobs or shopping at Little Island.

There are four bedrooms at ground level at this home — one of these has an en suite bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe. The other three bedrooms, one of which has its own bathroom too, are upstairs.

Some handy practical features include a Quooker tap for instant boiling water in the kitchen, a nice-sized plumbed utility room, and a metal shed to the side of the property as well as a timber shed and small green house.

“It’s a spectacular family home and you’ve got the best of seaside living here with the school only up the road too,” notes agent Avril Leigh at Fermoy-based Dick Barry & Son.

“You’ve got some nice amenities close by with Garryvoe Beach and Hotel only a 10-minute drive away. And in Ladysbridge, 12-minutes away, you have a convenience store, post office and petrol pumps.”

Interest so far has come from a mix of people eyeing a luxury family home, including local people who have been living and working overseas, and who are now keen to make a return to Ireland.

VERDICT: An enviable mix of superb sea views and family-ready practicalities.