We renovated our 200-year-old Cork farmhouse for modern family life

A visit to a sturdy Georgian farmhouse in County Cork turns out to be a lesson in sensitive renovation and sustainability  

Sharon Holland in the renovated Georgian farmhouse, in Ladysbridge, Co Cork. Pictures: Denis Minihane

Imagine moving into a 200-year-old farmhouse that has been in your husband’s family for four generations, and contemplating how to update it for modern family living while honouring the age of the house and the family connection.

This was the challenge for Sharon Holland when her in-laws retired from farming life and invited her and husband Jer to take over their farmhouse in Ladysbridge, Co Cork, but one which Sharon has risen to with practicality and flair, making it home for the couple along with Cian 23, Miah 13, Faye 11, and a super-friendly dog named Harry.