Inside restaurateurs' renovated city escape at St Luke's in Cork

We visit Martin Buckley and David O’Halloran of The Lifeboat Inn, Courtmacsherry, at their revamped Victorian bolthole

The starring role is given to an extra-deep copper bathtub, surrounded by forest-themed wallpaper.

The idea of having a bolthole to escape from work is usually envisioned as a bucolic farmhouse or coastal cottage away from the buzz of city life, but for Martin Buckley and David O’Halloran, it was the reverse.

They’re co-owners of coastal eatery The Lifeboat Inn in Courtmacsherry, Co. Cork, so peak season can see them working seven days a week. Wanting a change of scenery to relax, they began to explore the possibility of having a Cork city pied-à-terre to enjoy their downtime.