Inside a €785k coastal home in Union Hall offering sea views and mooring access

Turnkey four-bed home with harbour views and studio offers buyers a peaceful coastal lifestyle in scenic West Cork

Sat, 28 Mar, 2026 - 06:00

Catherine Shanahan

Union Hall, West Cork
€785,000
Size	205 sq m (2207 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

NOWHERE on God’s green earth can rival West Cork when the sun is shining, which it did briefly recently, lifting the national mood to a giddiness usually reserved for a major sporting victory.

It’s a safe bet that the weather was on its best behaviour when the couple that purchased this property near scenic Union Hall did so after their first time ever setting foot on Irish soil.

With roots in France and Britain, the two came to stay at Eagle Point, a camping park in Ballylickey, near Bantry, where all that’s good about the West Cork landscape is on your doorstep: rugged coastline, sheltered bays, rocky outcrops, and mountainy backdrops.

“We came here on holidays — we had never been to Ireland before,” says the French half of the couple, Severine La Croix.

“We were looking for a property by the sea, within an hour/hour-and-a-half of Cork Airport,” she adds.

The couple spotted what they were looking for online and relocated from France to a lovely little peninsula in rural Reen, Myross, just minutes from the picturesque village of Union Hall, to a detached home with a glorious coastal outlook over Blind Harbour, arguably one of West Cork’s prettiest inlets.

A light-filled property, the house was in good condition when the duo bought it a decade ago, a dozen years after it was built and lived in by a retired couple.

The new owners arrived from France with their 18-month-old infant son and spent the next 10 years enjoying the laid-back quality of life.

“It’s very slow-paced — especially when cows are crossing the road — and for raising a little boy, we felt it was very safe.

“There’s a great sense of community here. When we arrived, we felt very welcome and we fitted in well,” says Severine.

The village of Union Hall Picture: Denis Scannell

Their home is about a seven minute spin from Union Hall, where their son went to primary school, while yachters haven, chi-chi Glandore, is 15 minutes by car, much the same distance as the village of Leap, where renowned music venue Connolly's attracts serious musicians.

“We have lived here full-time for 10 years and we have had a very nice quality of life,” says Severine, whose favourite room at their own property is the lofty sun room, with vaulted pine ceiling and solid fuel stove with soapstone surround.

“On one side you have the stove and on the other side the sea is visible through the patio doors, which I love,” she says.

The sea is also visible from the dining table, under an arch from the sun room, in a country-style kitchen with Belfast sink.

The kitchen looks straight through to the sun room, where an apex window dominates an entire wall and fills the room with light and countryside views.

There’s a roomy feel to this 205sq m, four-bed coastal home and it comes with a nice bit of land, mature and landscaped, mainly lawn, about 0.8 of an acre all told.

There’s easily room for the independent studio in the garden, suitable as a home office or artist’s studio or ancillary accommodation — subject to planning permission.

The studio, with built in solid fuel stove, is well finished, as is the main house, which has ground floor underfloor heating, an upgraded well water supply, an EV charger and a B3 BER. Best of all though is the access to the water at sheltered Blind Harbour, where a mooring is available. As a sea swimmer, Severine always felt safe “with lots of little beaches to escape to”, she says.

Sea kayaking is an option from nearby Reen Pier, where you can punt across to the little village of Castletownshend.

Severine will miss the coastal lifestyle and the tight knit community when they return to France, but their departure opens the way for new owners to enjoy a similar laid-back lifestyle on this lightly-settled, scenic mini peninsula.

Following on from a couple of big sales in the area in recent years — Blind Harbour House sold in 2022 for €1.2m and has since undergone extensive renovation, while Raheen Castle (Barahane) sold in 2024 for €1.775m — Maeve McCarthy of Charles McCarthy auctioneers is back with this more affordable property in Reen, guiding at €785,000.

“We’ve already had lots of enquiries from the US market and a few from the UK,” she says.

“It’s a really lovely house, in turnkey condition, just a short walk from Blind Harbour, while the charming fishing village of Union Hall is just minutes away for everyday conveniences,” the agent adds.

VERDICT: If you’re after a lifestyle buy, this one comes with all the advantages of coastal living, in a rural setting, while the house itself is ideally laid out for enjoyment of its surroundings. Lovely views, terrific sun room, great access to Blind Harbour, with the bonus of a mooring.