Get an Old Head start at €450k traditional cottage in Kinsale with a large workshop

It comes with a couple of outbuildings, one used to house guests, another to restore antique furniture

Doneen Upper, Old Head Kinsale

Kinsale, Co Cork
€450,000
Size	139 sq m (1496 sq ft
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	E2

KINSALE is not known for its modest homes. Architectural statements glitter on the hills that rise above it. No-one bats an eyelid at the multi-million euro price tags slapped on properties you’d buy for half the price five miles out the road. In such a frothy market, it’s kind of a comfort when something more affordable comes along. 

Take this winsome two-bed cottage in Dooneen Upper, on the Old Head, the antithesis of the Fancy Dan design triumphs Kinsale is renowned for. It’s a home of warmth and character with exposed stone walls, deep sills, ceiling beams and a smattering of outbuildings, spread over half an acre.

Sunroom at Dooneen

The current owners did some research and believe it dates to the late 1800s/early 1900s. The Census shows it was home for three generations to a family known as Manning. They sold up in the late ’80s, whereupon a friend of the vendor bought it.

“She did significant renovations, bringing it back to the original stone and worked from there. She added a sunroom too. By the time we bought it in May 2004, she’d done a huge amount of work,” the current owner says.

The new owners turned their attention to the stone outbuildings where they made provision for guests by converting a portion of one building into a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. 

Stone outbuildings

Another section is used as a home office. There’s storage space too.

A lofty multi-purpose workshed is another fine space, used by the current owners to restore antique furniture.

Lofty workshop 

 It’s a versatile unit that could work as an artist’s studio or as a workshop for someone with a trade. It’s a bright, airy, light-filled space with endless potential. Together, the house and outbuildings have a combined floor area of 139 sq m.

“We put a lot of effort into the outbuildings and the garden, which was more like a yard, full of stones, which we used to build little stone walls and raised beds,” the owner says. Planting includes wild grasses, flowering shrubs and hardy perennials, which thrive on the south-facing site.

The main cottage slots comfortably into this setting and is fittingly rustic. The country kitchen includes handcrafted cabinetry, a butler sink, a durable Aga stove that still heats the water and a window overlooking the beautiful landscape — although glimpses of the Atlantic are limited to upstairs. 

New owners might flip the living quarters to create a better vantage point for sea views.

Even if they chose not to, they can be by the sea in jig time: A three minute spin will get up to Dooneen Strand or Garryvoe/Garrylucas beaches. Five minutes by car will get you to Ballinspittle village, where the kids of the current owners went to school. Kinsale town is a seven minute drive away.

Selling this sweet cottage is Linda O’Donovan of Bowe Property and she’s seeing good interest from West Cork locals, as well as those looking to relocate to the coast, and from families downsizing.

She says the traditional stone cottage is a “real gem, with lots of original features, very private, tucked away from the main road, yet very close to Kinsale”. The guide price is €450,000.

VERDICT: Authentic piece of real estate far from the madding crowd. Lots of options with outbuildings. Could continue as a permanent home, or become a coastal bolthole or holiday home rental.