Seaside home of Rory Gallagher's former drummer on the market for €750,000

Super setting, stupendous views and the possibility of building a second home are in the offing at Kilcolta 

kilcolta, Fennell's Bay

Fennell's Bay, Cork
€750,000
Size	144 sq m (1550 sq ft
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	F

DRUMROLL please: If you haven’t heard already, this week’s headline news in Myrtleville is the arrival to market of Bunnyconnellan, the seaside bar and restaurant where half of Cork went for their Sunday spin over the years. Also set to gobble up column inches is a second nearby property where drumrolls were an easy parlour trick. That’s Kilcolta, former home of Norman Damery, part of the original line-up of Taste, Rory Gallagher’s first band. 

Norman Damery (left) in the original Taste line-up (Rory Gallagher is centre)

Damery, whose Taste involvement was shortlived but whose friendship with Gallagher was lifelong, once credited the Irish guitar legend with saving his life. 

The story goes that he was due to travel to the UK to train for a new job, but instead accepted Gallagher’s invite to play drummer with the band. In doing so, he inadvertently sidestepped personal tragedy, as he should have been on board the 1968 Aer Lingus flight that crashed into the sea by Tuskar Rock.

The late Norman Damery

That’s quite the tale and it’s likely Damery, who passed away aged 75 this January, had many more to tell around the table at Kilcolta, a detached, four-bed bungalow that hugs the southern coastline towards the end of Fennell’s Bay and with the kind of views that you’d give a right eye for, only that it would stymie your enjoyment. 

There’s only one house – more Hollywood hills than Myrtleville – beyond it, before the coastline curves around towards Church Bay.

There’s very little on the seaward side of it either, bar the coastline, and nothing at all that might obstruct an 180° degree coastal view, which is literally eye-wateringly good.

The house itself looks pretty retro but has some striking elements including a feature brick wall and vaulted ceiling in the open plan living/dining room, where wall-to-wall glazing is where it should be ie facing the Atlantic. 

Other than that, there’s a kitchen/breakfast room crying out for an upgrade, along with the four bedrooms (one ensuite) and the main bathroom.

Having established that Kilcolta is a home with pedigree (who among you can claim to have played with a world class guitarist?) and panoramic views, what else is there? The land, of course. The site, comprised of two folios, is just over three quarters of an acre.

 Selling agent Cearbhall Behan of Behan, Irwin & Gosling Property says it’s a mix of garden and patio areas, one with a feature pond, and with mature palm trees and colourful shrubs dotted about. 

There's a large garden area too, to the east of the site.

 To the south, the cliff drops down towards the sea, from where a short swim will get you to Myrtleville beach, or a short walk, if you’re the landlubber sort. If you're a seaswimmer (who isn't?) a series of buoys in the bay off Myrtleville beach are in place to guide you.

Potential buyers with ambitions for more than one seaside dwelling may also be interested to hear that the site has potential, subject to planning permission, for a second home. This, Mr Behan suggests, could be on the eastern (Myrtleville side), where there's that large lawn area and a detached garage.

"The overall layout of the property and garage with central access would lend itself to further development of an additional dwelling on the eastern elevation subject to planning permission being applied and granted," Mr Behan says.

So, what else is there in the locality?

While Bunnyconnellan is closing – with no guarantee that hospitality is writ in its future – Pine Lodge, also in Myrtleville, and run by the same family, is still going strong. The busy village of Crosshaven is near enough too, about 5km, As the Crow Flies (as Rory might sing) and Cork City is just a 20 minute drive.

Mr Behan reckons the stunning coastal outlook from the house will tempt a good number of buyers.

"We would expect, local, national and international interest in this property given its unique location and setting," Mr Behan says.

VERDICT: A very Taste-y prospect given the setting. A buyer keen to renovate/build a second dwelling, will glean plenty of ideas from neighbouring homes.