The “cottagecore” aesthetic is alive and well, not just on social media feeds, but in villages, towns and cities around the country. These rustic homes have formed part of the Irish landscape for centuries, appearing in classic films and on 20th-century postcards and promotional videos selling Ireland as a destination.
House hunters, too, still have a grá for this type of home. On MyHome.ie, searches for cottages were up 13 per cent in the second half of 2024 compared with the first six months of the year.
And, why wouldn’t they be? There’s a lot to love with a cottage. Their structure encompasses additional loft space and their original features provide built-in character.
The Thatched Cottage, Laght, Rathcool, Mallow, Millstreet, Co Cork
€250,000
Set in the mountains between the villages of Rathcool and Millstreet, this traditional thatched cottage comes with an interior twist. This three-bedroom home, which extends to 89sq m (936sq ft) and has an E1 Ber, offers a chance to live in a “long house”, with an extension and all the mod cons. Its vaulted interior has timber beams stained dark oak with tongue-and-groove panelling, and the timber-board internal doors are picked out in a soft and tasteful sage green. The T-shaped construction features three rooms under the original thatch, all of which have lime plastered walls.
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In the centre is a livingroom with open hearth, which the front porch opens into. This space is book-ended by two good-sized double bedrooms. To the rear of the house is an extension with a tiled roof. This is where the third bedroom is and the property’s one bathroom. The most compelling space here is the dual-aspect, open-plan kitchen/livingroom, which features a range set into a brock-surround inglenook-style fireplace.
Agent OM2.ie
Daisy Cottage, Ballybeg, Ferns, Graigue More, Co Wexford
AMV €200,000
Daisy Cottage in Ballybeg, outside Ferns, Co Wexford, is set on half an acre and for sale by auction. It is a two-bedroom home with a beguiling interior that will draw in “the decorati” looking for a stylish place to call home. It was built in the 1860s. The interior has been repointed and lime plastered to show off its handsome stone construction.
“The sense of peace and privacy,” is what the owner will miss most, she says. “And the experience of the age of the house, its old, small doors. It’s a kooky house. I’ve kept the old look but added modern conveniences, such as heating.
The property, which measures 60sq m (645sq f), has a solid-fuel stove in the livingroom, a cottage-style kitchen and gorgeous feminine touches, such as a floral sink in the bathroom.
The two-bed property has a G Ber and comes with outbuildings. There are amenities for hillwalking and pony-trekking nearby. Ferns and Carnew are both about an 8km drive away. Daisy Cottage is being sold via online auction on Tuesday, March 4th.
Agent quinnproperty.ie
Cloghan Beg, Cloghan, Co Donegal
AMV €95,000
On the mountain road between Ballybofey and Doochery in Co Donegal is a two-bedroom cottage with good-sized rooms in need of modernisation. The E1-rated bungalow, which extends to 110sq m (1,184sq ft), has a corrugated roof and is on the side of road in the townland of Cloghan Beg in the centre of the county.
The residence is set on about half an acre and has views of the Bluestack mountains to the front. The location appears spectacularly remote but there is a post office, shop and filling station about 300m down the road.
Ballybofey, home to Finn Harps football club, is about a 12km drive away, which takes about 15 minutes via the R252, the road outside the house. The property will be sold via the bidding platform Iamsold.com, unless sold before the auction, which is scheduled to take place at on Thursday, March 13th.
Agent martinmcgowan.ie
2 Staplestown Road, Carlow town
€245,000
House-hunters who love the charm of a cottage but want to be in the heart of an urban setting might like to check out number 2 Staplestown Road, a terraced workman’s cottage in the centre of Carlow town. The double-fronted property offers a lot of space and pedestrian rear access. It was renovated about 10 years ago, has a C1 Ber and extends to 121sq m (1,302sq ft). This measurement includes the three attic rooms and bathrooms that are upstairs. The ground floor extends to about 90sq m (968sq ft) and opens into a small vestibule with the en-suite main bedroom to the right. To the left is the livingroom, which overlooks the street and also has light from the rear from an internal glazed panel.
The livingroom leads through to the smartly appointed kitchen with a small utility room to the rear that opens out to a south-facing back yard. Across the lane is Fairgreen Shopping Centre, which includes a Tesco and cinema. While furnished as bedrooms, the upstairs rooms do not have windows and are lit by rooflights. Under building regulations, these environs are classified as converted attic space.
Agent maherproperty.ie
