Uninterrupted views of the Atlantic for €795,000

As Belinda sings: Heaven is a place on earth... in Kinsale

Thu, 17 Sep, 2020 - 14:30

Catherine Shanahan

BELINDA CARLISLE did not have Ballymacus in mind when she sang 'Ooh heaven is a place on earth' — but to be sure, it fits the bill. A little slice of paradise just beyond Kinsale’s Summercove, it looks out, uninterrupted, over dazzling Atlantic views.

The vast expanse of the bay takes in Oysterhaven to the east, and straight south, the Sovereign Islands, aka 'the Sovereigne’s Bollacks', as per 18th century English navigator, Captain Woodes Roger, whose ship almost ran aground “on a pair of rocks”.

Just a couple of sloping luscious hills separate Ballymacus from the glorious coastline and whoever buys will no doubt quickly unearth the whereabouts of a stunning, but little known, 'secret' beach.

“Unless you live in the area, it’s unlikely you will know its whereabouts,” says Patricia O’Regan, selling agent with Sheehy Brothers Auctioneers.

Ballymacus is a 30-year-old property that started out as a fairly bog-standard house with small windows not designed to take in the view. The current owners bought 20 years ago and latterly, took it upon themselves to modernise it, which they did with considerable aplomb. By 2018 they had created the dream coastal home through the use of extensive glazing, including a show-stopping floor to ceiling structural glass corner window in the open-plan living area and a first-floor 'tranquillity zone' with floor-to-ceiling picture window, creating an internal change of scene from which to gaze upon those same breathtaking views.

Where once you would have had to walk over to the window to see the vista, now you can see it the instant you walk into the room

“They’ve maximized the view in every direction. Where once you would have had to walk over to the window to see the vista, now you can see it the instant you walk into the room,” Ms O’Regan says.

Stairway to heaven-ly views at Ballymacus.

The owners re-organised the internal layout without changing the footprint — 201 sq m — and did it in such a way that one of two double bedrooms on the ground floor has the luxury of opening onto a seaward-facing patio via double doors. All four bedrooms have windows that allow them to capitalise on the view, including some excellent use of Veluxes. All four bedrooms are ensuite and there are five bathrooms in total, as well as the possibility of a fifth bedroom, if the ground floor office/study is not on the house-hunting list.

When the owners bought Ballymacus, it was as a family residence, somewhere to rear their four kids. When they decided a few years ago to modernise and upgrade, two of their kids were still living at home.

“They did the work expecting to be there for the long haul. They did the full Monty on the house,” Ms O’Regan says. But then those two kids-turned-adults fled the nest and the arrival of Covid-19 threw another spanner in the works. The enforced lockdown, prompted a rethink. The house in which the owners thought they would see out their days suddenly felt too big and the decision was taken to downsize.

“They will stay in the Kinsale area and they can do something nice again,” says Ms O’Regan.

If €795,000 seems pricey, Ms O’Regan says it’s not, for this part of the world. Buyers looking in Kinsale tend to be well-heeled and Ms O’Regan says they’ve had enquiries about purchasing Ballymacus as a holiday home, a bolthole, and a family home.

”Typically, we’d see a number of parties bidding on a property,” she says.

This one is certainly special. A comfortable, contemporary, stylish family home, it’s less than a five-minute drive from the 17th-century bastion fort of Charles Fort and Ms O’Regan says a 20-minute stroll will get you to the Bulman, a well known, cosy wateringhole in nearby Summercove, with a smart upstairs restaurant.

VERDICT: Do as the Lotto advert says, Grab a slice of Paradise.