This charming extended farmhouse in rural Leitrim looks as though it has been torn from the pages of a storybook. With the cut-stone walls visible from the exterior and throughout the interior of this home, it spoke to one of the owner’s fascination with medieval knights and castles, he says.
The owners, speaking to The Irish Times from their home in Germany, bought this charming property in 2013 and they have stayed here frequently over the last 12 years, as have members of their family, and that is evident from the comfortable, characterful appearance of the home.
It is with heavy hearts that they have now decided to sell it as they are approaching their 80s and their children are too busy to spend much time at their Irish home. It is now on the market seeking €350,000 through REA Brady. It is being sold fully furnished, so a potential new owner could move straight in and make their own stamp on the home over time.
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On an extensive 9½ acres surrounded by trees and rolling green hills, it was the landscape that was the main attraction for the owners. They had lived for a time in north Leitrim, so they were no stranger to the county’s verdant terrain. They were also drawn to the tranquillity of the area and have been additionally charmed by those who live close by, saying they have always been extremely friendly and helpful.
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Extending to 205sq m (2,206sq ft), the farmhouse has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and is C1 Ber rating – the owners added insulation when they moved in. Approached by a tarmacadam driveway and electric gates added by the owners, the striking property unfolds behind its red front door. You enter into the sittingroom where the open fire is one of the owners’ favourite features, and you can imagine curling up in front of it with a book on a cold evening. This room opens out to an outdoor patio via French doors.
To the right of the sittingroom is a large bathroom with a shower and a free-standing bath to the front and a double bedroom to the rear. A spacious kitchen/livingroom sits on the opposite side of the property and has a wood-burning stove as well as a range cooker. Beyond that a utility room and the second double bedroom – with a feature cast-iron fireplace – completes the ground floor.
Accessed from a stairway in the sittingroom, the first floor is like a hotel suite with a spacious livingroom that is perfect for entertaining. It is set out with a dining and seating area and features a big window overlooking the grounds and an eye-catching timber ceiling. The main bedroom is also on this floor with a walk-in wardrobe and en suite shower room.
There is a substantial outbuilding where one of the owners stores tools and cuts firewood. This is a versatile space for a hobbyist or craftsman; it could be used as a workshop or artist‘s studio.
This rural idyll is about a 15-minute drive from Ballinamore town and 25 minutes from Carrick-on-Shannon. It is likely to attract prospective buyers looking for a turnkey period home on extensive landscaped grounds in Ireland’s northwest.
