Put down roots at quiet and roomy cul-de-sac home in Blarney for €750k

The home is substantial and versatile, with an open layout perfect for families

Sycamore House, Station Road, Blarney

Blarney, Cork
€750,000
Size	222sq m (2,390sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	B

Trees are a popular choice as metaphors for human life: They put down roots, branch out, and grow and mature with each passing season.

The sycamore tree in the garden of this fine home near Blarney had put down roots long before the house was built, but its very presence encouraged the woman who built it to do likewise.

“I bought the site off a neighbour, and it had the tree on it, which I loved,” says structural engineer and interior architect Niamh O’Sullivan.

She even named her home in its honour — Sycamore House — and one of her favourite features is a church window, salvaged from Waterloo Church, and restored by a close friend, Sheaner, who created a stained-glass sycamore leaf design for it.

The sycamore themed stained glass window at Sycamore House

The sycamore tree that the house was named after

Niamh had the skills to design and build the house herself, which she did in 2004. An integrated sunroom with vaulted ceiling adds some punch, and it’s where Niamh and her husband Mark Hayes base themselves during the working week, as both work remotely.

“Mark is an IT consultant, so there’s good wifi,” she says. Big windows overlook the landscaped garden where Mark has primacy, and the fruits of his labour include raised beds, colourful planting, and mature shrubbery.

There’s also a sandstone patio off the sunroom.

In a quiet cul-de-sac of less than a dozen homes off Station Rd, each on a decent site, the grounds at Sycamore House extend to 0.27a with lots of parking and an EV charging point in the front driveway.

Even though Niamh designed the house when she was single, she made it a roomy 222sq m — to get value from the site size — but in hindsight, it was a good decision as it later became the family home (two kids, two dogs). With four reception rooms, four spacious bedrooms, and 9ft high ceilings, the proportions are generous.

The open-plan flow between kitchen/dining/living/sunroom was tailor-made for family life and for entertaining. Kitchen highlights include a central island and a five-plate Rangemaster cooker.

Niamh has plenty of expertise in house design: Her business, Room Renovator, specialises in home extensions and remodelling. She’s seeing a growing demand for “splitting houses in two” as parents make accommodations for adult children unable to afford a home of their own.

Tirza Hourihane of Sherry FitzGerald is selling Sycamore House as its owners — Blarney natives, with family reared — are relocating to the coast.

She describes it as a “substantial and versatile family home of exceptional character and quality”, with a large, enclosed, “meticulously- maintained” rear garden.

It’s within walking distance of Blarney village — 1km — and just a 20-minute drive from Cork city centre. Bus services run half-hourly to the city from the bottom of Station Rd. When the proposed new train station is eventually built, it too will be within walking distance.

Blarney village itself has a selection of shops and hospitality — not to mention a famous tourist attraction — and Blackpool shopping centre is a short spin away. The guide price for Sycamore House is €750,000.

VERDICT: Families trading up in search of a detached home with plenty of accommodation and good garden space will find lots to like at Sycamore House. Handy to Blarney village.