Why Dingle is a pandemic refuge for buyers leaving cities

Properties that were previously slow to sell are going quickly and derelict cottages are being bought up by buyers quick to renovate them as permanent homes, part-time residences and holiday hideaways

The statue to Fungi The Dingle Dolphin isn't the only draw to the area these days, with property being bought by city dwellers as a pandemic refuge. Photo: Don MacMonagle

Dingle, famous for secluded beaches, craggy coves, and wild rugged landscape, as well as its colourful pubs has become a place of pandemic refuge for buyers leaving the cities.

Local auctioneers say that over the last year they have seen sales speed up, prices rise and properties in short supply as buyers, many from Dublin, compete to purchase cottages, houses and farmhouses in scenic locations around the peninsula, as well as semis, townhouses and apartments in Dingle town.

Properties that were previously slow to sell are going quickly and derelict cottages all over West Kerry are being bought up by buyers who want to renovate them as permanent homes, part-time residences and holiday hideaways.

Supply shortage

Auctioneers say that the demand during the pandemic has exacerbated an existing supply shortage in an area, which has seen very little new housing development since the boom. “Right now there are just 15 properties listed for sale within a two-mile radius of the town,’’ says auctioneer John Diony O’Connor. He says holiday home sales tend to be in the town, while the people who are relocating are buying in places like Barryferriter, Ballydavid, Dunquin and Ventry. “We are seeing a lot of people who have sold properties in Dublin and have cash in hand.’’ 

Auctioneer Anthony Fitzgerald says that properties with sea views and ones costing less than €300,000 are selling quickly. “Prices have been increasing — three-bed semis which would previously have cost €240,000 or €250,000 are now selling for €280,000 or €290,000," he observes. Derelict properties are very popular and Mr Fitzgerald says last year he saw one at Faha, Cloghane with a guide of €130,000 go for over €200,000 at an online auction.

Mike Kennedy of Dingle Properties says that he’s been dealing with quite a lot of people who fell in love with Dingle during a staycation. He’s seen good activity in recent months, particularly in May when properties which went sale agreed included several cottages around the peninsula as well as a house at Cloosmore with a guide of €795,000 which was had an area of beachfront — something which is now extremely rare.

“We had six bidders on a house with a guide of €415,000 at Mam na Gaoithe in Ballyferriter and it went sale agreed for over €500,000,” he reveals.

Private housing

Although there has been little private housing built in Dingle since the boom, Zinbar Developments and Peter Fenton launched a new phase of 15 units at Cnoc an Carn on Chapel Lane in December. All nine houses are sold but two of the two-bed apartments priced at €255,000 are still available.

In another recently announced 10-house phase at Cnoc an Carn — six semi-detached houses are also available, including some three-bed houses for €395,000 and some four-bed ones for €425,000.

A new development of 31 houses and 12 apartments at Goat Street received planning permission last year but has since been appealed to An Board Pleanála. Conditions attached to the permission granted by Kerry County Council stipulated that they must be permanent residences and that 31% go to Irish language speakers who passed a fluency test.

Churchfield, Lispole €299,500 

Dublin buyers looking to escape crowded city living will surely be smitten by the charm of this traditional Lispole, Co Kerry farmhouse. 

Tastefully renovated and extended, the four-bed property is located at Churchfield on the outskirts of Lispole village, around 7km from Dingle town.

“Since buying it in 2007, the owners added on a large extension — it now has approximately 2,000 sq ft and offers a lovely mix of traditional and modern features,” says Mike Kennedy of Dingle Properties, who is quoting a guide of €299,500.

Decorated cottage style, it has traditional timber-panelled ceilings and some slate-tiled flooring, plus a modern kitchen and en suite bathrooms. Good internet.

VERDICT: Very pretty.

Goat Street, €380,000 

This five-bed house on Goat Street is one of a small number of properties available in the vicinity of Dingle town centre. 

Guiding the centrally-located semi-detached house at €380,000, auctioneer John Diony O’Connor says it’s been upgraded in the last two years, and has close to 1,600 sq ft of living space.

“It’s suitable for Airbnb, weekly summer letting or long-term letting,’’ he says explaining that it’s been rewired, re-plumbed, re-roofed and insulated and has a D1 BER rating. Accommodation includes a sitting room/dining room and a galley kitchen as well as five en suite bedrooms including one on the ground floor. Situated in a residential part of town, it’s within a short walking distance from Dingle’s many pubs and restaurants.

VERDICT: Spacious and very central.

Annascaul, Co Kerry €350,000 

This 1970s bungalow at Church Avenue on the outskirts of Annascaul village has recently undergone a fairly radical transformation. 

Aside from the front façade everything has changed. With the addition of a flat roofed extension at the rear it’s been turned into a four-bed ultra modern house with close to 1,500 sq ft of living space. The owners have installed a mix of double and triple glazed windows and air to water heating in order to bring the BER rating up to an A3 – which is pretty astonishing for a property of its age.

Tom Crean Memorial at Annascaul, Co, Kerry.

Seeking offers of €350,000, Anthony Fitzgerald says the house has four en suite bedrooms and has been upgraded to a very high standard. “The location is excellent — it’s just a five-minute drive from the world renowned blue flag beach at Inch and a 15-minute drive from Dingle town.’’

VERDICT: Spacious, comfortable, and unexpectedly modern.

Beenbawn, Dingle €695,000 

This 1990s-built house has 3,000 sq ft of living space, half an acre of gardens, and looks out at Scellig Michael It’s unlikely that you could ever again get planning permission to build a property with the type of sea views that this spacious detached property at Beenbawn has.

“It has uninterrupted views of Dingle Harbour — you can look across to Reenbeg Point and also see Scellig Michael in the distance,’’ says Mike Kennedy of Dingle Properties, the selling agent for the four bed house, four kilometres from Dingle.

At the upper end of the Dingle property market with a guide of €695,000, it’s a 1990s-built house with 3,000 sq ft of living space and half an acre of gardens. “Properties with views like this are hard to find,’’ says Mr Kennedy who says he’s been dealing with enquiries from international buyers looking for holiday homes as well as from Dublin buyers thinking of relocating.

VERDICT: It’s all about the views.