€550,000 West Cork home brings seaside living to its limits

This 1867 gem has seen extensive refurbishment

The Boat House, Courtmacsherry

Courtmacsherry, West Cork
€550,000
Size	95 sq m (1,020 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	E2

Courtmacsherry has reasons to thank the fourth Earl of Shannon, Richard Boyle for.

Two centuries ago, the land-owning earl, who controlled 11,000 acres of County Cork, decided to ‘improve’ the then-tiny coastal village, constructing a pier for a burgeoning fishing fleet, facilitating coastal trading, and seaweed harvesting, later aiding its attraction for Victorian visitors with a demand for sea bathing.

This boathouse was built on the strand in 1867 — it is dated by a commemorative plaque on a gable wall — and it was initially used for private boating, but soon after was leased to the RNLI in 1872 for a shilling a year.

With access doors in either gable, the stone structure did sterling lifeboat service for decades, with the Courtmac’ crew involved in serious rescues (Lusitania survivors in 1915, the Fastnet race in 1979, and many more) but for the past 30 years it’s been a holiday home to a private family, who are now upping anchor.

Estate agent Martin Kelleher has listed the 1,020 sq ft, narrow three-bed (two up, one down) on the water’s edge at €550,000 and was due first viewings late this week.

The boathouse has huge charm, and novelty value: Mr Kelleher cites his vendors, who say that while exceptional tides have come close to the house, it never has been flooded and the former occupiers, the local RNLI, confirm similar.

New owners may leave it as is, or seek reassurance by mitigation measures, such as external retaining walls and other barrier measures for peace of mind.

Selling agent Martin Kelleher says the boathouse “has been extensively reconfigured and refurbished by the current owners and is a jewel in the crown of the beautiful lifeboat village”.

VERDICT: Stone built and stoic, the boathouse may indeed float the right buyer’s boat.