Irish Dream Cottage
Listening to gently trickling tranquil streams, breathing in cool clean mountain air. Views on gently grazing sheep.
Welcome to
The Shepherd’s Cottage
The Pocket, Coomlumina, Blackwater, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland.
Out of this world
Rose Martin visits secluded cottage where few have ever flocked
LOOKING like a Paul Henry landscape, The Pocket is cradled in the arms of Mullach an Aitinn, a flange of the McGillicuddy Reeks mountain range in Kerry. The 'summit of the gorse' looms over Coomlumminy and the Blackwater valley below and is the sort of moody, mountainous place where the profane gives way to the sacred. And it's no wonder there are remains of a monastic settlement in the mountains, or it still retains a pull for more secular, but still spiritual types. The early Christian settlement of Teampall Diarmada is tucked into the upper folds of this cul-de-sac, and in the other, the derelict ruins of a hunting lodge remain. Then, there is the Shepherd's Cottage.The only house as far as the eye can see, this stone-built and blended cottage is only ten years old but follows the ghost of a pre-famine dwelling, whose lazy beds (potato growing mounds) are still to be seen in the rushy fields behind. Up in the airy mountains, the falling water glitters in the August sunshine. This is an elemental and stirring place, one that uplifts and soothes at the same time, a place so rare it's a wonder it's being sold at all. And it came about with the insertion of a simple box ad in the local paper. Vendors, the Redmond family were looking for a place to live, somewhere rural and beautiful, but within commuting distance of Killarney. Eventually in the late summer of 1997, they discovered ‘The Pocket’ and knew instantly it was for them and the following winter they moved into a caravan on site to begin work. After a short time it became obvious the original old dwelling had gone too far for restoration, the clay and boulder walls were built on bog and drew moisture like a wick. Furniture-maker Gary Redmond MCI. Member of the Carpenters Institute, drew up plans for a new dwelling which followed closely on the vernacular, but included modern insulation and a good damp course! The Redmond’s resisted the temptation to go big and followed the traditional with small windows and a central front door. The casement windows, doors, door frames and kitchen units were all made by Gary and authentic fittings were sourced from all over the world. Room sizes are restrained and the house has three beautiful bedrooms, but this isn't house-as-status-symbol, but somewhere where needs are met and where the heart is perfect.
Pocket of beauty where time stands still
LEAVE the whizzing highway behind and turn onto empty back roads and you're suddenly back to nature! Stop the engine, pull the handbrake and open the door. Nothing. Just a warm breeze and the distant bleat of sheep and quality fresh air that is priceless.
Welcome to The Pocket, where the ancient prevails and where times reined in by the horseshoe of Mullach an Aitinn (name of mountain). This is the land the first people roamed, a place where monks went to pray and where raparees held out. Now, a different generation comes here and for different reasons, but only a few ever get to stay. The Pocket is in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a European designated area of outstanding natural beauty of the same class as the Killarney national park itself, which is why the sale of the Shepherd's Cottage and its 3 acres is so rare. On the market for €680,000, (now €390.000 plus furniture) the price for this piece of heaven on earth is amazing. The house is a gem of good taste and fine finish, and the basics are all there with an extra flourish. The look is 'country cottage' which would be out of place for modern homes, but for here is just perfect. The detail is superb: the door and window furniture (including thumb and 'rat tail' latches) is hand-forged, as are the hinges on the doors, the product of owner Gary Redmond. So too is the kitchen, with its mellow, old pine fittings and hardwood/granite worktop. The back splash tiles are handmade, with the orange and purple detail picking on the wildflowers outside. The floor is covered in two-inch sandstone slabs. A reconditioned, black Aga provides heat and is the very heart of the house, there is also a back-up Neff hob and oven. The rest of the house has electric heating and there is a large, solid fuel stove in the living room perfect for those cosy evenings! Built to modern standards, the house is snug and sound and, while the rooms aren't huge, they're perfect! The cottage has one living room, two bathrooms and three bedrooms, one of which is directly off the kitchen and perfect for visitors.
The bedrooms are fitted with big brass bedsteads and each has a different style. Homely, but chic, the rooms come with high ceilings and, in some, gable windows giving lots of air and light. Each bedroom also has a different view from the window. The polished wooden floors are the perfect accompaniment to the neutral decor. The master bedroom has a wall-length tapestry over the bed and comes with a large en suite; the living room has an old brick fire-breast and is furnished with simple, wine red sofas — shelves of books and DVDs are testament to long, quiet winters. The decor is the work of Interior Designer Tracey Redmond MCSD. Member of the Chartered Society of Designers. The Redmond’s also laid out the gardens and three patios which track the sun round the house: herb beds sit under windowsills to the front, while the main garden is planted with low-maintenance shrubs behind a sheltering wall; the back patio, which faces southwest, is decked and sheltered by two wings of the house. The cottage comes with a fine outhouse which is currently being utilised as a storeroom/gym, but which could which could also function as an office among many other uses. Down the garden is a duck pond, fed by a subterranean flow which runs into the boundary stream below — this has brown trout on occasion, say the Redmond’s.
Nearest neighbours aren't too far away, but standing in the garden, you're master of all you survey. There's something here for the wild and timid, and because Kenmare is half an hour away and Killarney 40 minutes, the isolation can be as long or as short as you want.
Article that appeared in the “Kerryman” newspaper Property Section February 2008
NESTLED at the foothill of one of Ireland's highest peaks, Mullach an Aitinn (Summit of the Gorse) is The Shepherd's Cottage, a property that would look equally at home in the Swiss Alps as it would the scenic surroundings of Sneem.
Occupying what must be one of the most serene and idyllic settings imaginable the cottage, will doubtless attract much interest from our own shores as well as from further a field where this sale very much offers every inch the quaint charms of an Irish country cottage.
Located in an area known locally simply as 'The Pocket' situated close to the McGillycuddy Reeks in a European designated area of "outstanding natural beauty of the highest class."
All the original stone has been reclaimed from the original cottage reused for the stonework of the new building. The real slate on the new roof is also identical to the original slates used on the old cottage. Other authentic features such as the hinges, thumb latches window stays and 'rat tail' latches, all handmade, add an extra level of detail to an already respectful restoration.
So, what of the price for all this perfection? Well, a once in a lifetime property has an equally rarefied price tag. It is now guiding at €680,000. (Now €390,000 Plus furniture)
