Blend of comfort and luxury at renovated €1.1m Kenmare home in spectacular setting 

On the shares of Kenmare Bay, near Dromquinna Manor, this Lower Reen property has direct water access 

Glorious grounds for renovated home in Lower Reen, Kenmare. Co Kerry 

Kenmare, Co Kerry
€1.1m
Size	315 sq m (3390 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

KERRY was top of the queue when good looks were handed out: the proof is in its spectacular peninsulas. Geology and glaciers may have done the heavy lifting, but a brush of magic dust touched up its coastline.

Coastline at Lower Reen with house hidden in the trees

Some of that dust wound up in Lower Reen, on the shores of Kenmare Bay. Ask yourself - why did celebrated hotelier John Brennan open a venue there in 2012 when he was already part of a wildly successful five-star operation with his brother Francis at the Park Hotel in Kenmare?

As the Brennan brothers have hardly put a foot wrong — Dromquinna Manor in Lower Reen was a shrewd post-crash opportunity in a setting of preternatural beauty, while their disposal of the five-star Park was at the height of its success, hence a top-dollar sale — you’d be inclined to think that Lower Reen must be a safe bet.

Outdoor entertainment in the grounds of Dromquinna Manr

House hunters looking for a home in the area might like the look of the property featured here, on a private two-acre site that fans out nicely along the shoreline.

Two acre site with water frontage

 If generous water frontage is on the wish list, you’ll find it, along with a private slipway and your own boat shed. 

Boatshed on the shoreline

From here, the pleasures of Kenmare Bay are yours to explore.

David and Linda Kenny enjoyed 20 years at this idyllic setting, having traded the energy capital of the world for the entirely different energy of southwest Kerry.

“We were living in Houston, Texas, and we had come to Kerry on a visit a year earlier and thought Kenmare was fantastic. We thought buying a house here would be a fun thing to do,” David says.

It wasn’t entirely random — he is Dublin-born to Irish parents and holidayed in Caherdaniel and other parts of the Iveragh Peninsula during his childhood.

After buying the house in Lower Reen, David drafted in his cousin, architect Sarah Kelly, of Cork City-based KOBW Architects, to oversee a re-design.

As part of the renovation, a former detached stable building was connected to the main house, with the link angled to catch the best views. Original windows were stripped out and replaced with full-height glazing in all the main living spaces.

 French doors open to patios at every turn: from the kitchen cum dining room for al fresco dining; from the expansive living room (two sets) and from two of the ground floor en suite bedrooms, including the main bedroom, where his and her dressing rooms add another touch of luxury.

 Of five bedrooms, two are upstairs and two are in use as home offices on both levels. Other practical additions include a“mud” room and a laundry room.

Although the house was comprehensively revamped, great care was taken to retain antique wooden ceiling beams, possibly salvaged from a ship. David says:

They are pretty extraordinary and a friend of ours who knows about ships reckons that’s where they came from

The couple have lived in Lower Reen “pretty much fulltime” since relocating from the USA, enjoying the privacy, the views from the bay-facing rooms and the bay itself.

Surrounded by well-tended lawns (with help from a gardener) and patios that “follow the sun”, the house is the epitome of a coastal retreat.

 Swimmers can take a dip from the slip at the boathouse “which has the best vantage point for views, quite captivating, right down the bay”, David says.

“We’ll miss it, but I have to spend the next few years in Texas and it’s the kind of house that should be lived in, so we are selling up,” says the owner, who works in the tech industry.

Ron Krueger of Engel & Völkers is handling the sale and he says the property is “an exceptional waterfront residence”.

“It’s an idyllic coastal retreat with uninterrupted views across the bay and its many islands, and in terms of privacy, space (315sq m) and setting, it’s both unique and captivating,” the agent says.

Despite all its tranquility, it’s still just a 10-minute drive from pretty Kenmare town, while some of Kerry’s most scenic routes are on its doorstep (the Ring of Kerry and the Kerry Way). Beaches are in good supply on the Iveragh Peninsula, among them Derrynane, one of the world’s finest.

Potential overseas buyers might be interested to known that Kerry Airport is about a one hour drive and add another half hour if you’re flying into Cork.

Overseas interest is a given for a property like this one (the Kennys believe it was in Dutch ownership, prior to their purchase), but there is also local interest. The guide price is €1.1m.

VERDICT: A balanced blend of comfort and luxury in a very pretty corner of the Kingdom. Lovers of the outdoors, but especially the coast, will adore the waterfront setting. Locals will likely have to vie with keen interest from overseas.