Buyers will swoop in like Captain Jack Flynn, the original owner of this splendid €385,000 Kerry valley cottage
Captain's House Bonane Kerry
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Bonane, Co Kerry |
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€385,000 |
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Size |
108 sq m (1,162 sq ft) |
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Bedrooms |
3 |
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Bathrooms |
2 |
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BER |
D1 |
IN the space of a hundred years this scenically situated stone cottage in the Bonane Valley has gone from being the home of an Irish revolutionary to a base for a globe-trotting Australian couple.
The Captain’s House, a recent market arrival with a guide of €385,000, has, while maintaining its traditional façade, been transformed into a stylish contemporary home with glass box extension at the rear.
Its original owner was Captain John “ Jack” Flynn a veteran of the First World war who fought at Flanders and the Dardanelles and later became a training officer of the IRA Kerry No 2 Flying Column.
In March 2021 he took part in one of the largest War of Independence engagements in Kerry, the Headford Ambush. This involved an hour-long attack on a weapons train in which nine British soldiers as well as three civilians and two IRA volunteers were killed. A pro-treatyite who subsequently became a Captain in the Free State army, Jack Flynn is believed to have built this property at Garrymore in the 1920s.
Two years ago a documentary entitled “Captain Flynn and Ireland’s War of Independence” was made by local documentary maker Matt Sullivan focusing on the war in Kerry and showing events involving Captain Flynn and the local Flying column.
When the current owners, an Australian couple who wanted to travel in Europe and America, came across The Captain’s House in 2013 – it had, after some years of dereliction, been comprehensively modernised.
“We looked at a few other places but loved this one - the modern interior was nothing like a traditional Irish cottage and the views were amazing” observes the owner.
Being fifth generation Australians with no Irish connections whatsoever, they wondered if it had belonged to a sea captain. But once they had settled in, locals gave them a little bit of a history lesson and told them about Captain Jack Flynn.
They had come to Europe because they wanted a base in the northern hemisphere. “We chose Ireland because it was easier for a foreign national to buy here than in some other countries we looked at. Since moving here we have been all over Europe, South and North America and parts of Asia, travelling in motorhomes and also trekking,’’ says the owner, adding that they always loved coming back to the peace and splendour of Bonane.
She says they have particularly enjoyed sitting in the sunroom and looking out on the valley.
“Being able to sit up in bed and watching sheep, pheasants as well as hares and rabbits has been a great joy.’’
The interior of the Captain’s House is pretty much as they found it in 2014– a stylish ultra-modern home with a traditional exterior and 108 sq m of living space.
The ground floor has an open plan kitchen/dining/living room with grey gloss kitchen units with a centre island, tiled flooring and an insert fire in the living area.
An archway leads to the sunroom which has glass walls on three sides and panoramic views of green countryside, rolling hills and woodland.
A contemporary open tread timber staircase with glass balustrades leads to the first floor which has three bedrooms. Two have en suites with high tech shower cubicles and windows overlooking the valley at the rear while the third is small and could be a home office.
The owners have done some landscaping to the grounds and added a patio at the rear.
“It was just a sheep’s paddock when we bought it,’’ says the owner, explaining that their biggest change was to build a detached garage and studio.
“My husband uses it to paint and I use it for craft work – we built it with tall windows so we get lots of natural light.’’
After ten years of alternating their time between travelling the world and returning to their Kerry home, the owners are returning to Australia – drawn back by the birth of their seventh grandchild and the desire to travel more in Asia.
Selling agent Tadhg O’Sullivan of DNG O’Sullivan says he’s been getting an extremely high level of interest in the Captains House especially from overseas buyers.
Located 12 km from Kenmare,The Captain’s House is 17.5 km from Glengarriff, which can be reached by travelling the winding scenic route through the Caha Pass.
Scenic, stylish and historic – not a combination you see very often
https://www.facebook.com/188759031195299/photos/kenmare-1916-to-1923-captain-jack-flynn-bonane-in-1923-jack-flynn-was-in-the-bri/5246457738758711/?paipv=0&eav=Afa_VS4EWSHhtGaLWZtpksRih-YP17x2o82Q05l9UPy-9g2GCFp_7FocvtIQpAcQKlI&_rdr
https://www.carnegieartskenmare.ie/event/captain-flynn-documentary/
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