Glengariff's Stone House for €595,000 embraces its place in the wilds of West Cork

Catherine Shanahan is enchanted by a quality home that has made a virtue of blending into a stunning coastal landscape in Glengarriff

The Stone House, Glengarriff

Glengarriff, West Cork
€595,000
Size	140 sq m (1,507 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	D1

WHAT calibre of house could compete with West Cork’s dramatic landscape? Perhaps the better question is, why try? The designers of The Stone House, in the townland of Coolieragh, Glengarriff, did a fairly successful job of blending into the landscape instead. 

The net effect is that it does a good job of not standing out. It also does what’s expected of any coastal home worth its sea salt: it faces the harbour. All of West Cork’s considerable glories are laid out before it: mountains, water, shoreline, woodland, It’s as sublime a terrain as you will clap eyes on in any corner of Ireland.

Some practically-minded Germans (is there any other kind?) designed The Stone House back in the early to mid-1990s, according to the current owners. They were driven by the desire to catch the best of the light and the views at this detached dormer-style dwelling, overlooking Seal Harbour, a few miles west of Glengarriff, just off the main road to Castletownbere.

“The design specific was to make the most of the view over the harbour and to avail of as much sunlight as possible in the mornings and the evenings,” the current owners say. It’s what drew them to The Stone House in the first place, after they fell in love with Glengarriff and the Beara Peninsula while holidaying in the area in 2019.

Having fallen for the peninsula’s rugged charms, they thought about buying at the time, but the pandemic got in the way. Once things started to open up again, they began looking in earnest, late in 2022. They bought The Stone House off-market early last year for €522,000, from Olivia Hanafin of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill, the same agent who is now re-selling the property on their behalf.

“Once we had seen the property, we immediately fell in love,” the owners say, adding that the privacy was a bonus.

“Sitting outside in the evenings sipping a nice wine whilst enjoying the sunsets and views is idyllic and everything we imagined,” they add.

While they made The Stone House their permanent home, they’ve had less than a year to enjoy it as work involves overseas travel “which is ultimately why we are selling” they say.

Short though their stay has been, they acquainted themselves well with the area, and made good use of nearby beaches, including a pebbled beach, which is within walking distance and “super safe, and sandy once you are several metres into the water” they say. Or they would hop into the car and zip over to Zetland Pier, a five minute drive away, where there’s a small sandy beach. Or make the 10 minute car journey to pretty Glengarriff village, from where there are ferries to the garden paradise of Garnish Island, or the 20 minute trip to the fishing village of Castletownbere.

There were attractions closer to home too on that elevated 1.4 acres, bordered by a stream and surrounded by a rich diversity of trees and shrubbery, dense enough to guarantee privacy, but not to obscure the view. The best place to enjoy the vista was from the large, harbour-facing patio, or, when the weather dictated, from the warmth and comfort of the living room with feature stone fireplace, generous windows and stunning floor-to-ceiling French doors, made more impressive again by continuing the glazing into the roof.

This double-aspect room, with exposed beamed ceiling, also houses the dining area, up steps from the living room, and positioned to take advantage of the view. The kitchen, off the dining area, has as its main feature a giant apex window with large window seat, facing the harbour, looking towards Bantry and Whiddy Island, with The Sheep’s Head Peninsula in the distance.

The owners were particularly fond of the large split-level living and dining area and its grand dimensions (8.4m by 5.4m), which despite its size, retained a sense of comfort and warmth, thanks to the beamed ceiling and traditional stone fireplace, they say.

The Stone House, Glengarriff

Ms Hanafin says the 140 sq m south-south-east-facing property is laid out in well-designed rooms, including main en suite bedroom and guest bedroom on the ground floor, and two spacious double bedrooms upstairs. It’s already generating “quite a bit of interest” from the Irish and US markets, with the latter likely to heat up as the prospect of another Trump presidency cannot be ruled out.

The guide price for The Stone House is €595,000. Ms Hanafin points out that it has a right-of-way to the foreshore and that it comes with a substantial detached timber-clad high-grade shed, containing a small utility, a garage/workshop and a home gym.

Ms Hanafin says the shed’s main section is insulated and suitable for a “myriad of uses, such as home cinema, a studio or as a workspace”.

VERDICT: Idyllic West Cork living in a relaxed, quality home.