A Hobby Farm or a Hobby Horse? Plenty room for both at this lovely East Cork cottage

MASSIVE cultural differences and the fall of the Berlin Wall are the kind of topics that spring to mind when we think of East v West, but a micro version of the same type of age-old rivalry exists right here, in our own county: East Cork v West Cork.

Traditionally, West Cork has gained more of a foothold as an ideal place to visit or to live in, but East Cork is making steady inroads, thanks in no small part to enterprises such as Ballymaloe House, Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry and, in more recent decades, the opening of Castlemartyr Resort. And, just as West Cork is littered with picturesque villages and unspoilt coastline, so too East Cork has its own little treasures.

Some of these are on view across the furrowed fields from Shanavagoon, a charming traditional cottage that looks out towards Ballycotton Lighthouse, with uninterrupted views over the surrounding countryside.

Selling agent Adrianna Hegarty of Hegarty Properties describes the elevated land that it sits on as “a beautiful, light-filled site”.

“You can see the ploughed fields dropping away in front of it and the sea in the distance. It’s fabulous,” Ms Hegarty says.

Having driven that route pre-lockdown, it is fair to say that the view is spectacular. Moreover, Shanavagoon is just two miles from Garryvoe Beach, and other beaches such as Ballinwilling and Ardnahinch are also close by.

For anyone looking to retreat from Covid or to swap city for country living, Shanavagoon and the circa 3.6 acres that come with it, represents a good opportunity.

At €310,000, it could make a lovely starter home for a couple keen to grow your own, or to start a market garden, and to have freshly-laid eggs for breakfast, with plenty of room outside for hens to scratch about it and scope to use one of four outhouses as a hen coop.

For a family considering Shanavagoon, there’s scope to keep a pony, using an outhouse as a stable.

The current owners used one of the outhouses as an art room and it could continue as an artist’s studio or workshop for a buyer with a creative urge. There’s also scope for converting an outhouse to a home office, although the vendors had adapted one downstairs room for this purpose. Ms Hegarty says the buyer might prefer to use this as a third bedroom.

The outhouses also offer the possibility of earning additional outcome.

“They could easily be converted and used for Airbnb,” Ms Hegarty says.

While the house is a tidy size (940 sq ft) there’s plenty of room for expansion.

Currently, it’s a three-bed, with one bathroom, kitchen/dining to the rear (south-facing) and a lovely double-height sitting room, with original stone fireplace. A fetching staircase leads from the living room to an upstairs bedroom.

The current owners, who have lived at Shanavagoon for a good number of years, renovated when they bought it and kept some original doors, including double doors with stained glass panels leading from porch to sitting room.

Ms Hegarty says someone considering downsizing might fancy this pretty East Cork home “or maybe a couple starting out who don’t want to live in a housing estate, or someone interested in renovating and keen to exploit the potential of the outhouses”, she adds.

Whoever does buy Shanavagoon will position themselves nicely in relation to the lovely fishing village of Ballycotton (a 10-minute drive), Midleton (nine miles) Youghal (12 miles) and Ballymaloe Country House (a 10-minute cycle).

Schoolwise, Kilcredan National School is in nearby Ladysbridge, while Midleton has plenty of secondary schools.

VERDICT: Sure to appeal to those interested in hobby farming, who recognise the many delights of East Cork.