Words: Josh Lee
During this past Oscars season, you’ve likely made your way through the darkness of Tár, the genre-bending multiverses of Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the everyday mundanities in The Banshees of Inisherin, a low-key feature that showcases Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and the beautifully peaceful landscape of a remote island off Ireland’s west coast.
Though Jenny the Donkey may have stolen hearts in Martin McDonagh’s film, it was the terroir – the serenity and untouched allure of the coastlines, greenery and beaches – that made the biggest impression on the mind.
If you’ve been spending the past few weeks thinking about leaving it all behind and uprooting for the beauties of Ireland, we wouldn’t blame you – and for that, we’ve dug out a selection of our favourite abodes on the market right now…
Carniseal House, Donegal
The coastal setting is the main draw at this 1990s estate, with roughly 600 metres of frontage on Lough Swilly. 46 acres of open, landscaped greenery also dials up the appeal, with the terrain slowly rising on the south-western boundary from sea level to a point of around 19 metres, allowing for unbroken panoramas over the Fanad peninsula, across the sea inlet, to Inch Island and over to Inishowen.
On arrival, you’ll be whisked in by cast-iron gates, planted borders, and a driveway fringed with lawns, hedging, lamps and deciduous trees. The exterior, defined by a pedimented entry, a pair of porticos, slate roof, red-brick chimneys and cornicing, conceals a sizeable interior that’s flush with natural light and grand features (flagstone flooring, ceiling roses, architraves, timber panelling, and French windows). The master bedroom suite, complete with dressing room and shower room, is the ideal place from which to take repose.
Leeson Mews, Dublin
Refined and spare, this contemporary four-bed mews is bathed in parquet flooring and large stretches of darkwood. The split-level ground floor revolves around an open-plan space that incorporates a sleek living room leading to a double-height custom-made kitchen and dining area, a sharp, finely tuned scheme that looks like it’s fallen out of an interior-design zine. Aluminium double doors then open up to the courtyard garden, in which you can entertain guests when the weather is just fine.
Up top, premium materials are further showcased, as seen in the bedrooms and hallway, which are done out in the same oak that’s been laid in the kitchen and the pantry, and the trio of bathrooms comprise marble-topped vanity units. Set in the centre of Dublin, the city’s main retail drags are a short stroll away.
Manderlay, Wexford
Overlooking the River Slaney, a major waterway slicing through the southeast of Ireland, elevated Manderlay, finished in a period style and situated on a private lane, is precisely what you imagine when it comes to the easygoing rhythms of the Irish countryside. When you enter the black-and-white-tiled porch, you’ll be faced with a majestic hallway, and a living area complete with a marbled open fire; to the side is a glorious sunroom with French doors that facilitate south-easterly daylight to come in.
But the crowning glory is perhaps the traditional kitchen, around which the house is anchored. The colour scheme is finished in a cream palette, there’s an Aga, and the units are sheathed in black-granite and elm worktops. Following a night overlooking the pots and pans, there are steps that lead down to a large cinema room, and a snooker room with a fitted bar and a wine cellar made of brick.
Ananda, County Dublin
The pristine expanses of lawns at the seven-bedroom Ananda, along with the modernist-style builds, make it feel as though you’ve stepped onto a moneyed college campus, or the HQ of a west-coast tech firm. In large parts, the exterior and interior blur into one, and, if you position yourself at the front of the house and look straight through the building, Sugarloaf mountain will be perfectly framed for you.
We particularly like the curved frame that incorporates steel, granite, glass and hardwood; meanwhile inside, we’re especially drawn to the double living room that can call upon a glass climate-controlled wine area. The open-plan kitchen, from Strato Cucine, of Milan, is fitted with a five-seat island and fine appliances by Gaggenau and Wolf.
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