This €695k Killarney bungalow might just be Ireland’s most scenic home

This five-bedroom Killarney bungalow blends Danish design inspiration, panoramic mountain views, and modern upgrades for serene lakeside living

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025 - 12:00

Trish Dromey

Beaufort, Kerry
€695,000
Size	289sq m (3,110sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	5
BER	B2

A BUNGALOW with a veranda in Kenya will shelter you from the sun but one at Alder, Dunloe Upper, will protect you from the elements and allow you to sit outside and drink in the splendour of Killarney’s lakes and mountains.

Kenyan bungalows are mentioned here because Alder’s original owner was inspired to design/build a single-storey home with a veranda on two sides after seeing a bungalow in Nairobi once owned by Danish writer Karen Blixen.

Untypical for this part of the world because of its wrap around veranda, it is set on an elevated site near the foothills of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks.

Loving the setting, the views, and the veranda, a Danish-Irish couple bought the five-bed house as their summer home in 2016, and moved there full-time three years later.

“It feels like a mountain retreat — we have scenic views and are surrounded by nature — we hear bird song and see wildlife and, every now and again, a white tailed eagle flying over from Tomies Wood” says the Danish owner, happy with the fact they found all this, and wonderful privacy, within a 15-minute drive of Killarney.

The key upgrade carried out after they bought the 2000-built house included the installation of a geothermal heatpump which brought the BER rating up to a B2. Priority was also given to refurbishing the veranda, which was reinforced with steel and concrete. Making the 289sq m house comfortable for their needs, they chose new colour schemes, replaced bathroom fittings and some windows, and refloored the upstairs.

The rooms which are bright, modern, and timber floored offer a variety of views.

“Lough Leane is to the east, Strickeen Mountain and MacGillycuddy’s Reeks are to the south, while the mountains of Dingle can be seen in the distance to the north and, from the front veranda, you can look out across countryside towards Killorglin,” reveals the owner.

At the gable end is a timber floored sunroom with views of Lough Leane and the Reeks.

Alongside it is en suite bedroom with views of both Lough Leane and the Dingle mountains.

Open plan with the sunroom on the south facing side is a spacious kitchen/diner overlooked by a galleried landing. The property also has a south- and west-facing living room.

The upper level has four en suite bedrooms including two with large dormer windows facing south, and two with Velux windows offering distant glimpses of the ocean. For the owner, the panoramic views of the Lough Lean are the ones he will miss most.

“From this side, you can also see the lights of Killarney at night,” he says.

Alder has a little over half an acre of gardens with mature trees and azaleas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and montbretia — plants which the owner says don’t require much maintenance.

Tranquil, scenic, and private, the house is located at Beaufort, within a short drive from the Gap of Dunloe, Tomies Wood, and the national park, and 13 km from Killarney.