City to Country: Two beds in Dublin 6 for €505,000 or a five-bed in Cork's Glenville for €490,000

Homes in Wicklow, Dublin 6, Tipperary, and Co Cork

26 Harold’s Cross Cottages in Dublin 6.

Harold’s Cross, Dublin 6
€505,000
Size	58 sq m (624 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms
BER	C2

It seems as if every possible step has been taken to maximise the use of space in this upgraded two-bed mid-terrace property at 26 Harold’s Cross Cottages in Dublin 6.

The previous owners who carried out the work dug down and lowered the level of main living areas while also adding an attractive roof terrace on the upper level. They also fitted Murphy/pull-down bed in a downstairs room so it could double up as a home office and a bedroom.

Seeking offers of €505,000 Alistair Hickey of Felicity Fox auctioneers says the cottage, which has just 58 sq metres of living space, has been cleverly and imaginatively extended. “It’s beautifully maintained and the location is excellent – walking distance of Rathmines and Portobello and just two km from Dublin city centre.”

Inside the hall door there’s a hallway with a set of steps leading down to an open plan sitting room/ kitchen/dining area which has an insert stove, quartz-topped kitchen units, glass block features and a patio door. At the side there’s a guest WC and a bedroom/ home office with a pull-down bed.

A second set of steps in the hallway leads to the upper floor which has a bathroom and a bedroom with slide robes and double doors opening onto a decked balcony.

The Property Price Register shows it selling in 2017 for €415,000 and again in 2023 for €490,000.

VERDICT: A small but cleverly laid out property in a popular spot.

Roundwood, Co Wicklow
€635,000
Size	109 sq m
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	3
BER	D2

Opportunities to experience rural living are rarely as novel, scenic, secluded or quite as remarkable as those offered by this two-bed tower-home at Ballinastoe Woods near Roundwood in the Wicklow mountains.

Built in the 18th Century as a small game keeper’s cottage in the Powerscourt Estate, it was extended in the 1990s by previous owners who built on a two-storey turreted tower.

Situated on an elevated one-acre site near Wicklow Mountains National Park, the property offers panoramic views of mountains, lakes, forestry and the Vartry reservoir.

Listing it with a guide of €635,000, Rory Fenelon of Fenelon Properties says that given its charm, character, setting and views, this is a truly exceptional rural escape.

On the lower floor of the tower (which has been upgraded with triple glazing), there’s a circular sitting room while the upper level has an en suite bedroom with a Juliet balcony and scenic views.

Accommodation in the cottage adjoining the tower includes an en suite bedroom, a guest WC and a long tiled kitchen/diner with a vaulted ceiling, white units and a blue central island. Outside in the gardens, there’s a huge terrace with panoramic views in addition well as a detached garage

Surrounded on all sides by forestry, the tower house is situated at the top of Ballinastoe Mountain trail, six and a half km from Roundwood and 15 km from Kilmacanogue.

VERDICT: The type of turreted woodland tower that you usually only find in fairytales.

Ballyhist, Co Tipperary
€485,000
Size	201 sqm (2,163 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	5
BER	B2

People have travelled distances and paid an entrance fee to view the magnificent gardens at this bungalow in the Vee Valley at Ballyhist in South Tipperary.

The acre of gardens which surrounds the four-bed bungalow has gravel paths, a little bridge, a pergola walk and sunken beds as well as an astonishing array of plants, shrubs, trees – large and small, exotic and native – and colourful flowers.

The owners built the bungalow in 2001, applying Feng Shui principles to its design and employing landscape artist Brian Crosse to draw up a plan for a garden which they devoted major amounts of time and effort to developing over the years.

Featured in the Irish Garden magazine, it opened annually to raise money for charity during the Tipperary Garden Festival.

Offering scenic views of both the Galtees and the Knockmeldowns, the bungalow is unusual in being built around a central courtyard. Recently fitted with ten solar panels, it has a B2 BER.

At one side of the property's inner court yard there’s a sitting room with a stove and at the rear, a spacious kitchen/dining/living room with maple units and French doors with mountain views. In addition to this, there are four en suite bedrooms and a guest WC.

On the market with John Stokes of REA Stokes and Quirke the property and its amazing garden is guiding at €485,000.

Located four km from Ardfinnan village, it’s 20 km from Clonmel.

VERDICT: A gardener’s paradise.

Glenville, Co Cork
€490,000
Size	244 sq m (2,626 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	4
BER	B3

For a buyer who wants a more spacious house than they can afford in Cork city, this modern five-bed house in Glenville village with a guide of €490,000 might be an option.

Situated at the end of a small development near the village No 19 Dromcille is a sizable 244 sq metre detached property with a B3 BER.

Kate Kearney of DNG Murphy Condon says the owners bought one of six serviced sites Dromcille in 2005 and built themselves a comfortable and spacious house with a south-westerly facing back garden and a detached outbuilding which they use as a gym.

Accommodation includes a walnut floored sitting room, a home office and a large open plan kitchen/ dining /living room with bamboo timber flooring, cream fitted units and a stove. An archway at the side opens into a conservatory with a pool table and at the rear there's also a utility and a guest WC.

The first floor has a bathroom and three bedrooms including two with en suites while the top floor has another two bedrooms.

Located within a short walk from Glenville village, Dromcille is 18 km from Cork city centre.

“It has a range of local amenities on its doorstep including a national school and GAA club as well a shop, churches and a pub” says Ms Kearney, noting that Blackpool is within a 20-minute drive

VERDICT: Offers plenty of living and playing space for a family thinking of trying village life.