House of the Week: €995k Ovens six-bed haven built on family history and panoramic views

Made for milestones — Dún Déada, which looks out over the Lee Valley, is ideal for upsizing families

Dún Déada, Grange Hill, Ovens, Co Cork, P31EW70

Ovens, Co Cork
€995,000
Size	258sq m (2,777sq ft)
Bedrooms	6
Bathrooms	4
BER	B2

Family was the force that gave this home its character and indeed its name, Dún Déada, chosen by the owner’s mother in honour of her homeplace, Dundeady, the location of West Cork’s well-known Galley Head Lighthouse.

That Dundeady native, whose name was Annie, was at the heart of countless family celebrations over the years. Indeed, so highly prized was the simple ritual of gathering around the dining table that the owners of Dún Déada built an extension to cater for family get togethers.

“I come from a big family and I wanted a big table that we could all sit around,” Annie’s daughter says.

“All of the milestones were celebrated here: Communions, Confirmations — even the kids’ 18th birthdays. We’d give them a choice of eating out, and they’d say ‘No, we want it at home’.”

No doubt her own cooking skills were part of the appeal. A chef for 35 years, among her former notable workplaces was Lovetts Restaurant, a well-regarded Cork dining establishment on Ballinlough’s Churchyard Lane, which closed in 2006.

The dining extension — two steps down from the kitchen/living room — is filled with windows, light, and a slew of good memories. It was added in 2018, 23 years after the main house was built using direct labour.

The house has bedded down nicely into its surroundings: 1.3 acres of mature garden, with a mix of hornbeam and horse-chestnut trees lining the curving drive.

It’s an attractive piece of land, sliced off from the ‘home’ farm of the man of the house, who tills the adjoining acres. High up on Grange Hill, it looks out across the Lee Valley, with its patchwork of fields and wooded hills.

To the east is the town of Ballincollig and, closer to home, “at the bottom of the hill and straight through the crossroads” is the large campus of Dell Technologies, a major employer in the area.

Dún Déada is in a super spot for house-hunters who value that attractive mix of countryside living yet with urban conveniences close at hand. A car journey to Ballincollig for schools, sport, and retail, takes less than 10 minutes. Cork’s most popular bus route — the 220 — stops at the crossroads below the house. It’s on the right side of the city for major hospitals and third-level education facilities, all of which will appeal to a growing household.

At almost 260sq m, Dún Déada is a generous six-bed. And its owners maintained it well: The main bathroom was recently upgraded, and there’s been several energy upgrades that heat the water, reduce kerosene use, and reduced utility bills. The BER is a B2, ergo, green mortgage rates. There’s an EV charger and a very large two-storey garage (812sq ft) with a downstairs WC and flexible upstairs options — a kids’ den won out for the current household.

Dún Déada has an attractive Ballyhea stone entrance and matching garden walls and a wraparound Kilkenny slate patio off the vaulted sunroom, which is a favoured spot for sitting out. There are plenty sitting-out spots, given the site size, which has accommodated kids’ camping adventures and home-made slides over the years.

The couple selling up have reared their family and are relocating nearby, so the house is on the market via Norma Healy of Sherry FitzGerald.

She says the Ovens location is a big plus, as are the panoramic views, while the house itself fits the bill for upsizing families.

“It’s an exceptional home on a very private site, just a couple of minutes’ drive from Ballincollig,” says the agent, who is guiding Dún Déada at €995,000.

VERDICT: A substantial family home in a super countryside setting, yet handy to the city.