'An Pocar' birthplace for sale in West Cork starts at €475k 

Lots of grace notes at Bantry’s Laharne Lodge, writes Catherine Shanahan

Laharne Lodge, Ballylickey, Bantry

Bantry, West Cork
€475,000
Size	168 sq m (1,808 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	C

The occupants of Laharne Lodge were like the house itself: warm, convivial and hospitable. When the late Ramor and Sarah (Inki) Craigie bought what was the birthplace of the late renowned tenor/schoolteacher Seán Ó Sé in Ballylickey about 20 years ago, they did so to enjoy their well-earned retirement, having devoted the previous two decades to running Cametringane House Hotel which they bought in the ’80s.

The pair had relocated from Dublin with zero experience in hospitality when they bought the hotel in a scenic spot on the Beara Peninsula.

“The place had been empty for years and there were 52 leaks in the roof. I was only 11 at the time, but I remember thinking ‘Jesus, are they serious?’,” says Gretta, the couple’s daughter.

It was a steep learning curve, but they loved it, Gretta adds, “and I don’t think they ever regretted it”.

After a 20-year slog, they opted for early retirement and looked for a home in West Cork. “Mum loved old houses,” Gretta says, and her choice was Laharne Lodge, which, as the 1936 birthplace of An Pocar (O’Sé’s version of An Poc ar Buile is the definitive one) saw the occasional stranger to pay a visit requesting a photo of the property.

Traditional Irish singing legend, Seán Ó Sé performs with friends during a special concert in Coughlan's pub in Cork

It’s now on the market as both Ramor and Inki have passed and Denis Harrington of Harrington Estates is handling the sale. He says the Craigies did a terrific job of transforming the site so the house is now nestled into its private surroundings, rather than being exposed to view from the road.

It’s a generous 168 sq m four-bed, extended by the Craigies c 15 years ago. They added a sun room — their favourite part of the house — as well as a utility. An en suite was added to the main upstairs bedroom.

Set on 0.75a on the main Ballylickey to Bantry road, the house faces west and has views of Bantry Bay from upstairs rooms — with potential to improve if trees were topped. The grounds have solar panels and a detached garage with patio doors, used by Inki as an artist’s studio but with clear home office/guest room potential.

The house is just a stone’s throw from Manning’s Emporium and there’s a bar/garage/local Centra close by. Bantry town is just over 4km away and there are Local Link bus services and a West Cork Connects service to Cork City.

VERDICT: Storied pedigree, serene setting, charming to the rafters