Great house, glorious garden at this €695K Cork home

Green-fingered wizardry has transformed a soulless plot into a vibrant, biodiverse haven in Cloghroe

Rockwood, Upper Cloghroe

Blarney, Co Cork
€695,000
Size	279sq m (3,003sq ft)
Bedrooms	6
Bathrooms	4
BER	C2

You would never guess from the artistry of the garden in this Upper Cloghroe home that the only thing in it when the current owners bought it was the stony leftovers of builders.

“It was really just a field with three big boulders,” says Kate McNamara, whose green-fingered wizardry has since transformed a soulless plot into a vibrant, biodiverse haven.

It didn’t happen overnight — for more than four decades, she’s been cultivating, layering, adding, and remodelling at Rockwood, guided by a desire for a naturalistic look, “not something trimmed to within an inch of its life”. 

Along the way, she hired a local builder to lay a south-west-facing rear patio with incorporated pond, from which water flows down through rocks (those boulders came in handy) to a second feeder pond. There are three ponds in all and frogs are regular visitors.

“A lot of people said at the time that I should flatten the garden but I liked the gradient,” Kate says. A dab hand at planting she enlivened the half acre, creating several zones to sit out in: An egg-chair relaxation area, a secluded bench at the bottom of the garden, a raised patio off the main bedroom, and a dining circle, with in-built stone bench.

“I designed the garden with kids in mind — my youngest daughter was born in the house — and in the hope of having grandchildren to enjoy it too, and they did.”

Kate and her husband John bought Rockwood (previously called Woodside) 42 years ago when it was just a few years old. The original bungalow was much smaller than the 3,000sq ft house that you see now.

“We lived in it for 10 years before we did anything,” Kate says.

Cumnor Construction built the first extension in 1996 and it “took the bungalow upstairs”.

It created a great big kitchen/dining area as well as a sunroom and utility at ground level, while two bedrooms and a shower room were added overhead. There are also three attic spaces.

In 2005, the local builder who had laid the patio returned and added a new main bedroom — more suite than bedroom in reality, with walk-in wardrobe and en suite — which, like the sunroom and kitchen, opens to the patio and rear garden.

“It’s a really special space, one of the nicest features of the house,” says selling agent Dawn Holton, of Holton Homes and Properties.

The agent says Rockwood is “a real family home, with warmth, character, and generous accommodation, not to mention the extraordinary gardens”.

She believes families living in housing estates who value outdoor space, privacy, and security (there are electric gates) will feature strongly among those viewing.

Rockwood, which is guiding at €695,000, is five to 10 minutes from Blarney village and about 20 minutes from Cork City. Nearby primary schools include Berring NS and Cloghroe NS, while there’s also a secondary school in Blarney, as well as options in Ballincollig.

VERDICT: Rockwood has a hell of a lot going for it — great light and space, wonderful south-west-facing back garden, a self-contained upstairs area with rental or inter-generational potential. It’s proven itself as a family home and, as it’s owners prepare to downsize, it’s ready to do it all again.