The €825k Carrigtwohill home where there’s room for everything — including a trapeze

The 445sq m home combines generous living space, landscaped gardens and countryside privacy within easy reach of Cork city

Rathóg, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork. Pictures: Jim Rocks / MediaPro

Carrigtwohill, Co Cork
€825,000
Size	445 sq m (4,789 sq ft) on 0.74 acre
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	B2

A1,000-year-old structure inspired the name of this house near Carrigtwohill... but everything else about Rathóg is modern.

The four-bed detached property, at Ballintubber, was built in 2008, and takes its name from an old ringfort in the locality.

A split-level design and mezzanine landing mean a lovely combination of grand and welcoming when you enter this house, which has a stone-and-render facade and an arched entrance.

The owners — Claire and Conor, who have three young sons — bought this house four years ago and were drawn to the serene setting and the versatility of the home: “It was the gorgeous views and the big, safe garden that first caught my eye and the house itself has room for everything.”

That ‘everything’ includes a playroom complete with trapeze set in the attic, though the children were by no means confined to just one area. “They play all over the house and love riding their sit-on cars around the hallway or exploring the fairy garden or playing on the trampoline or swingset outside.”

There are plenty of spots, too, to get some quiet time, with a waterfall area in the landscaped gardens or the main bedroom with its double doors leading to a balcony overlooking miles of fields as options. “I practise yoga in front of the balcony upstairs, but also love the snug downstairs,” says Claire.

‘Snug’ does not quite give an accurate sense of the size of this vaulted-ceiling room, with a new wood-burning stove and minimalist, ring-shaped Arcchio LED chandelier. On the ground floor there’s also a dual- aspect living room, with two sets of double doors leading to the back garden and to the studio/office.

The oak-floored office could also be converted to a gym or an extra living room/sunroom.

And the real heart of the house is the large kitchen, with solid-oak cabinetry with granite worktops and a large centre island, as well as a freestanding Stanley range. There are two steps up to a dining area that looks out onto the garden.

Also off the kitchen is a boot room/utility, which can be accessed from the back garden — ideal to divert people coming home in wet or muddy sports gear.

Then, the athletes (or parents who’ve been on the sidelines) can head up to the main bathroom with its double Jacuzzi bath.

“There was really good thought put in to this house and a lovely, quality finish, so we didn’t have to change too much — we put in more modern lighting, new stairs carpet, painted, two new stoves, and mostly behind-the-scenes things, such as a new oil tank and boiler.”

They also added whole-house water filtration and a new high-pressure water pump, so buyers should be able to move straight in.

This 445sq m, B2-rated home is now on the market for €825k.

The family is moving towards the coast, but they have enjoyed regular trips to Fota Wildlife and Arboretum, which is 12 minutes away by car.

Closer to home, early risers and people who stay up late have spotted rabbits and a badger in the back garden, which is bounded by fields to the rear and a neighbour’s horse paddock on one side. There are electric gates to the front, so children can play outside.

Gaelscoil Mhainistir Na Corann primary school is a four-minute spin away and there are also primary schools in Carrigtwohill. Families with younger children will be delighted with the popular Mary Geary’s Childcare, a short drive away at the business park in Carrigtwohill.

Interest is expected to come from people already living in the area who are keen to trade up to a good-sized family home that doesn’t need to be upgraded; or people working locally who want a base that’s commutable, but still has countryside calm. Stryker’s Carrigtwohill operations are just 6km away and it’s less than 20 minutes to industries at Little Island.

Niamh Hegarty, of Hegarty Properties, says: “You don’t get homes of this great quality in East Cork too often and this one was built so thoughtfully and to such an exceptional standard.

“Every room has great scale and there were no compromises made when building, which is why even rooms like the utility are just massive. I’ve never seen anything like the playroom here. It’s fabulous. And it could also be an amazing home office, if new owners wanted to move up from downstairs. The location is incredible, too — you can be at the city in 15 minutes or over to Fota in no time. It’s so very accessible, but you have great privacy and peace here too. You can be onto the N25 very easily, too.”

VERDICT: This house seamlessly — or magically? — blends countryside tranquility with modern family living.