Home buyers’ love affair with Kinsale persists

There has been a surge in the number of American buyers entering the market

Silver Apple, Weavers Point, Crosshaven, a Coveney family home, was the top-selling Cork property in 2025, making €3.05m from a guide price of €1.65m. It was No 3 in the list of top sellers in the prime country homes market, which excludes Dublin, North Wicklow and the main regional cities. It was sold by Michael O’Donovan of Savills.

Cork - and Kinsale in particular – emerged as the most popular location for prime country house sales in 2025, a year that also a surge in the number of American buyers entering the market, according to estate agents Savills.

The figures are contained in a new Spotlight report analysing activity in the prime country homes market – defined as transactions of €1m or more - which found Cork accounted for one fifth of total sales, or €58m out of €267m worth of transactions. Kinsale was the most sought-after town, with sales of €23m, accounting for 14 out of 40 Cork transactions. 

The biggest Kinsale deals included Currahoo House, a period property with links to the Bullen/Boleyn family, including the ill-fated Anne, one-time wife of Henry VIII, which sold to an American buyer for €2.5m. Making the same kind of money was An Carrig, The Ramparts, Kinsale and Leighmoney More House, an Edwardian period home, which sold for €2.45m.

The biggest Kinsale deals included Currahoo House, which sold to an American buyer for €2.5m.

High-net-worth buyers' love affair with Kinsale is continuing into 2026 with the sale of Sandycove’s Sprayfield Cottage last month for €3.176m, with the new owner rumoured to be US billionaire James Berwind, who already owns a string of multimillion euro homes in the town. 

The Savills research – which excludes Dublin, north Wicklow and the main regional cities - notes that Cork’s coastal location is a big draw for buyers, with 75% of prime country home sales in coastal regions. 

However, the largest sale of the year went to Waterford, where the inland Fortwilliam Estate in Lismore sold for €3.48m, while third spot went to a Crosshaven home, Silver Apple, owned by the Coveney family, which made €3.05m from a €1.65m guide.

Commenting on the findings, Cianan Duff, Divisional Director, Country Residential at Savills Ireland, said the composition of activity in the prime country homes market is changing. “While €1 million remains the entry point, a growing proportion of transactions are now occurring at the lower end of that range, reflecting the impact of house price inflation in recent years,” he said.

The report also looks at who the main overseas players might be in 2026, with American buyers expected to dominate. It points out that similar expectations last year were fulfilled, with the number of Americans migrating to Ireland almost doubling, to 9,600 “representing the highest level of migration from the US since the data series began in 1987”.

The report says the surge “reflects a broader trend of Americans moving to Europe”. As Irish house price inflation has trended above EU averages over recent years, the research warns it “may impact Ireland’s competitiveness in the future”.

“We nevertheless expect Americans to remain key purchasers” the report says, adding that Ireland’s attractions include high quality of life, a stable political system and moderate climate, as well as “strong historic ties between the two countries”. The report also notes a growing preference among buyers for turnkey properties that don’t require significant energy upgrades, against a backdrop of rising energy prices. The conflict in the Middle East is likely to further fuel this trend.

In terms of buyer profile, just under a third of those purchasing prime country homes in 2025 were international buyers. The report notes that Irish buyers “remain the cornerstone of the market” driven by lifestyle changes and a continued shift to hybrid working.

Across all purchasers, 31% were upsizing, followed by relocation and the purchase of second homes, at 25% of sales each. The report notes that “given the prime nature of this market, cash buyers represent a larger proportion of sales than in the broader residential market”.

In Savills sales last year, only 31% of buyers utilised mortgages, all of them Irish buyers - consistent with Irish buyers primarily upsizing, while overseas buyers were purchasing a second home. The report predicts activity in the prime country homes market will stay steady in 2026, albeit with a moderation in price growth at the top end.