Kinsale's €1.6m hidden gem a stone’s throw from the sea

Architect-designed A2 rated new build Del Mar has oceans of style

Architect-designed Del Mar is tucked away behind Bulman bar in Summercove, Kinsale, 100m from shore. Agent Sinead Sinnott of Sheehy Brothers guides at €1.6 million

Summercove, Kinsale
€1.6m
Size	204 sq m (2,195 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	A2

MOVES to free up backyards, gardens and hideaway plots for new builds and cabins to a home-hungry market are making waves: but, not everything needs to be small, cheap, system-built or temporary: quality can go on tight sites, too.

Sunset at Summmercove Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Such is the case in Kinsale harbour’s Summercove, at Hermitage Lane: witness the Spanish-named Del Mar, meaning ‘of the sea,’ an architect-designed home tucked away less than 100m from the sea, behind the Bulman bar and restaurant: the narrow lane leads up toward a period home called The Hermitage.

Sea near Del Mar,  Summercove 

Del Mar was built here on the site of an older and smaller dwelling, called Pearl Cottage, which Del Mar’s owner bought and replaced, moving in fulltime March 11 2020, two days before the first covid lockdown.

A Dubliner with a love of all things maritime, he used the services of Kinsale architect Richard Rainey for the tight, out-of-sight site, with the narrow lane accessed between long-set water-facing houses, and he managed to get a contemporary, 204 sq m design on the footprint of the older, 123 sq m ‘cottage’, which the Price Register shows selling in early 2017 for €210,000.

Bench press

In Pearl Cottage’s stead came this crisp design, a mix of single- and two-storey with a kink in the floorplan, and with off-street parking, plus a front door opening on to Hermitage Lane.

Private sun-trap courtyard with Kilkenny limestone paving

Even though you don’t see the sea from here, you won’t be unaware of its presence: It’s a minute or two’s walk to the pier and slip, facing the famed Bulman bar and eaterie, with Charles Fort just an uphill haul on Fort Hill, while the other direction leads past some of Summercove’s most charming period homes and hillside terraces.

Although quintessentially Kinsale, a first-time visitor could be fooled in to thinking they’d stumbled on to some Devon or Cornwall village in Summercove, and which also indeed bustle and fill up chock-full in summer months and on fine days.

Kinsale itself is a five-minute spin by car along Ardbrack’s heights, home to many multi-million euro rebuilds on premium sites, or it’s a walk on the same road towards Scilly, or else via the pedestrian waterside path along the Scilly Walk.

Del Mar is in exalted company price-wise, too, guided at €1.6m by Sinead Sinnott, of Sheehy Brothers, with its appeal being its setting (albeit without views), architectural aplomb, lock-up-and-leave possibility as a second/holiday home, and an A2 BER that should mean low running costs.

Ms Sinnott say her vendor has loved living here and is into all water sports, but the house is now too large for him and he’s going for something smaller in the Kinsale locale, with a view.

“It’s just a two-minute walk from the iconic Bulman pier, making it an excellent choice for any water enthusiasts — ideal for kayaking, boating, or simply enjoying the scenic coastal lifestyle that Kinsale is known for,” says Ms Sinnott, adding Summercove “is one of Kinsale’s most desirable areas. Del Mar’s in a peaceful, residential setting with strong local and international interest, blending high-end finishes with energy-efficient living”.

Built by local Joe Neville, planning came for the 2,195 sq Del Mar to replaced Pearl Cottage in 2018 and the selling agent describes it as “a thoughtfully designed home, built to exacting standards, created with style and functionality in mind”, suitable for full-time occupation “or as a luxurious holiday escape”.

Internally, it’s a mix of little and large, light and bright, with a contrasting, dark-hued study/den, fitting in three bedrooms off a bright landing with roof lights and glass baluster over the hall.

Main bedroom

Two of the bedrooms are good-sized doubles. The main bedroom is a good layout, with dressing area/robes screened off behind a bedhead wall. There’s a good shower en suite, and the gable wall in the sleeping section has a sliding door with protective, glass baluster screen.

Bedroom three is a smaller version of bedroom two, with sloping ceilings, and they share an adjacent main bathroom with bath. The ground level has more floor area, thanks to side single-storey projections in an angle floor plane.

Scene setter is the open-plan main living room, in a L-shape with the kitchen/dining area, with an old, beaten-up table/workbench adding a bit of vintage variety to the rest of the modern furnishings.

The mixed-use room is set up for casual living and entertaining, with two sets of sliding doors to a Kilkenny limestone paved patio: the extensive glazing here contrasts with the head-height, letterbox-style window on facing walls to the lane side. The kitchen with quartz-topped island/breakfast bar has units in blue and off-white, with gas hob, distressed-style splashback tiling, American-style fridge freezer, and wine chiller, with a decent-sized utility/laundry room off it.

Club feel

That’s all in contrast with the den/study, with walls and panelling in navy for an evening retreat/gentleman’s club vibe, with wall-mounted, flame-effect fire under a television screen, and with gable-wall sliding-door access to a small patio.

Glazing is by Reynaers, triple glazed to the back, with underfloor heating throughout at ground level, via air-to-water heating, with rads upstairs and a heat-recovery system throughout, helping to gain Del Mar an A2 BER.

VERDICT: Certainly high-end, Del Mar is an enviable Kinsale area hideaway, right by the sea, but just out of sight of it.