They planted 1500 shrubs in two weeks at this sweet East Cork home

Island View has an unsurprisingly fabulous seaward panorama, writes Catherine Shanahan

Sun, 04 Jul, 2021 - 12:48

Ladysbridge, Cork
€385,000
Size	139 sq m (1500 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	D1

WHEN the owner of Island View returned to Ireland from the UK 16 years ago, she was in two minds about the move. Having made a life for herself across the water, it was quite a wrench. She finds herself equally conflicted now, having settled in beautifully to East Cork. She’d love to stay, but Covid-19 has kept her apart from her overseas grandchildren. Unable to see them for the past year, she’s returning to live in Old Blighty to be nearer to them.

“I remember not wanting to leave England when we moved back to Ireland and now I don’t want to leave Ireland,” she says.

A Roscommon woman originally, she married a Cork man and her late husband bought the land on which Island View stands from an uncle.

They built the house at the start of the noughties and initially used it themselves during the holidays. The fabulous garden, set over 1.5 acres, was a priority from the outset.

“While we were still living in the UK, we got a chap to dig the garden and then we came over for two weeks and planted 1500 shrubs. I remember watering them the day before we left and hoping they’d survive. They did, and I’ve planted as many again since,” she says.

They made Island View their permanent home in 2005 and she has loved living on that elevated site, with spectacular views out towards Ballycotton Lighthouse and Garryvoe Beach. She’s loved the beautiful walks in the area - Knockadoon Cliff Walk isn’t far - and Ballymaloe House and Cookery School is closeby.

Having reared her own family, she is aware of the schools in the area and of the many lovely beaches like Ardnahinch, Ballinwilling, Garryvoe, Ballinamona.

Adrianna Hegarty, who is selling the 1500 sq ft four bedroom bungalow in Loughane, says she expects strong interest given the demand for properties in East Cork during the lockdown.

“Houses down here are moving really fast. A cottage in nearby Shanavagoon sold recently within 5-6 weeks,” she says. The house, which featured in these pages also, sold at the asking price of €310,000. It was considerably smaller than this one, at 940 sq ft.

The vendor of Island View is hoping whoever buys her home shares her passion for gardening.

Ms Hegarty, of Hegarty Properties, says it’s a “delightful” family home, with scope to convert the attic.