€355k former fisherman's cottage will widen your East Cork horizons

Carraig Liath in Guileen, a beloved holiday home for decades, has sumptuous ocean views

Carraig Liath, Guileen, overlooks the Atlantic

Guileen, East Cork
€355,000
Size	79 sq m (850 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	G

A LONG tradition of families heading “down the coast” once the school year ended saw households around Cork City empty out for the summer months as families swapped comfortable townhouses for the rough-and-tumble charm of seaside cottages.

Carraig Liath, Guileen

These days, only the truly lucky get to spend the full summer by the sea, but for a previous generation, it was the done thing among those fortunate enough to own a holiday home.

One such family was the Hurleys, whose seaside home was barely 40 minutes down the road. The father of the family, the late Ted Hurley, an eye doctor in the Bon Secours Hospital, must have relished the break from his normal routine when he escaped to East Cork’s Guileen and the dynamic drama of the Atlantic.

 Their holiday home, Carraig Liath (Grey Rock), was magnificently positioned high above the ever-changing seascape.

In later years, another Cork family, the Clohessys, had the use of Carraig Liath, when they rented it during the summer months. They later bought it from the Hurleys.

“My parents had been renting it every summer for about 10 years and I think my dad expressed an interest in buying it to Dr Hurley, so when he was selling it, he gave my dad first refusal,” says Marjorie Clohessy.

That was 41 years ago, and it’s been in Clohessy ownership ever since.

“There were five kids in our family, and I have memories of about 10 other families around the village that used to spend summers there too and all the kids would hang out, and the parents all knew each other, and everyone would take turns doing weekend barbecues,” says Marjorie, recalling the fun she and her siblings had. In later years, her parents spent five to six months of the year there, as well as the odd weekend.

Marjorie has fond memories of swimming off Guileen Beach and fishing for mackerel in a little motorboat. They used to store the boat gear in a little bothán (shed) in the back yard at Carraig Liath, a compact, 79sq m, three-bedroom property which Marjorie believes was originally a thatched fisherman’s cottage.

Well over a century old, it has been extended over the years. Essentially a single-storey home (there is a shower room, up steps, to the rear) there are bedrooms either side of a central living room, all with sea views. A kitchen was added to the rear, as well as the shower room.

A front porch, re-glazed by the current owners, is the best indoor spot for enjoying those mesmerising views, matched outdoors by a front patio.

Front porch at Carraig Liath

Front patio

 To the rear, a large, elevated garden beyond the back yard is an unexpected bonus, with obvious potential for another patio and uninterrupted Atlantic views.

Surprisingly large back garden

 Adrianna Hegarty of Hegarty Properties is selling Carraig Liath and she says “endless horizons and ever-changing skies” are on offer from this “unrivalled vantage point”.

“The location is truly exceptional,” the agent says, adding that Guileen is “one of Cork’s hidden gems”.

“Despite its peacefulness, it’s just a short drive to Whitegate [three minutes to Spar supermarket], Roches Point, and Midleton,” she says. The village itself has a pub.

VERDICT: The setting is the star of the show. Cute cottage, needs investment. Potential to do more with large rear garden.