Live the luxury life by the lagoon at Rosscarbery

Life would feel like a year-round holiday at this water-side high-spec home

Sunny Rock, Rosscarbery, West Cork.

Rosscarbery, Co Cork
€995,00
Size	334sq m (3,595sq ft)
Bedrooms	5 + 2
Bathrooms	8
BER	B1

The ‘driveway’ to this five-bed detached Rosscarbery home effectively starts a few hundred yards away once you round a bend on the N71 — right where fresh local produce is for sale.

From there you have sweeping views over the estuary, the 200-year old causeway, and the lagoon in front of the West Cork town, and this standout house too.

With a name like Sunny Rock, it’s got to be all about the sunshine, lagoon views, and barbecues.

The owners, Sheila and John O’Regan, actually brought the house name with them from a townland near Reenascreena, where John grew up.

They also left a bit of sunshine behind at a former home in Clonakilty, for which they also used the Sunny Rock name.

“We’ve moved home around seven or eight times now and really, home is where your family is,” says Sheila.

Some people might shudder at the thought of packing up and moving so many times but, with a great sunny (rock) outlook, Sheila says they’ve used things they’ve learned from every move to create a really modern, attractive, and labour-saving home here.

From the central vacuum system in both the main house and in the two-bed detached apartment to the underfloor heating upstairs and downstairs, electric gates outside, and the pressurised water system allowing the eight showers to be used simultaneously, it’s all about convenience and making time to relax and enjoy the water vistas.

The couple with three grown children had previously run a B&B in West Cork so when they bought this site near to the Celtic Ross Hotel in 2005, they planned a home that could work as a guest house too even though they never actually ran a B&B here.

“We’ve often had enquiries about whether we would cater for hotel overflow but just didn’t do it here,” says Sheila.

Not that they’ve been short of visitors, with a large kitchen and a living room with a bar area they’ve had plenty guests — including around 64 people for a son’s 21st birthday celebrations.

“We’ve had barbecues here every sunny weekend throughout the summers, and we’ve even passed burgers out over the wall to people fishing at the lagoon outside,” laughs Sheila.

Some careful planting and a hefty stone wall gives great privacy while still allowing water views.

“I have two favourite spots here: Outside it’s up high by the stag sculptures, which I decorate for Christmas or with team jerseys when there’s a local game on; and inside it’s by the kitchen table where all you can see outside is the water.

“The road is hidden behind the wall so it feels like you could nearly be on a boat here.”

That lagoon is pretty popular during the summer when the inflatable water park and pedal boats and kayaks are in use: “I absolutely love hearing the children playing in the water here — it feels like we’re on holidays.”

“A lot of love and effort went into this home for sure. And the location is great, you’re only a few minutes walk from Rosscarbery village itself with its great shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés.

“Over the road, you’ve got the Warren Beach and the pitch and putt club,” notes Jeremy Murphy, of Jeremy Murphy and Associates, who is joint selling agent along with Andy Donoghue of Hodnett Forde Auctioneers.

And in a real endorsement of the charms of the area, the owners of this €995,000 home with an attached garage with workshop are downsizing to an adjacent house.

VERDICT: A real West Cork shorefront sanctuary with room for family, friends and guests; and the handy West Cork Connects bus stop is outside the Celtic Ross Hotel next door.