The son of German playwright Bertolt Brecht gave this Sligo house to his Irish wife in 1965. Now it is back on the market, writes Orna Mulcahy,Property Editor

A remote Co Sligo house with 11 acres of land running down to the sea has come on the market through Knight Frank with an asking price of €1.6 million.

Toberpatrick Lodge stands at the end of a headland shielded from buffeting winds by high stone walls that enclose a courtyard garden.

The house, which dates from the 1740s, has magical sea views across to Ben Bulben and the Donegal coast.

Near the village of Skreen, it's the last house on a winding road that leads down to the sea, about 20 miles from Sligo.

Toberpatrick Lodge is being sold by artist Sarah Brecht, a grand-daughter of the renowned German playwright Bertolt Brecht whose son bought the house in 1965 as a gift to his Irish wife.

The six-bedroom house was a holiday home for many years and, according to Sarah Brecht, was the venue for a lot of parties.

"The house has attracted writers and artists drawn by its atmosphere and beautiful setting. It's been the subject of novels, poems and paintings and it has captivated everyone who has stayed there. It remains a place of magic and beauty and inspiration."

There is something magical in the contrast between the wild setting and the cosy interior of the long low house with its elegant crown-topped chimneys.

Inside, it feels like a rather grand cottage, with a big country-style kitchen at one end - complete with uneven flagged floor, vast Belfast sink and a butter churn that still has a tag from an auction house in Massachusetts.

Next to this is a parlour with table and chairs pulled up to a sash window looking out towards the sea. A huge old range still works.

From here you can walk through to a formal diningroom with marble fireplace and ruby red walls.

This connects with the drawingroom with its heaving bookshelves, and rich yellow walls decorated with a painted tree shedding golden leaves that are scattered across the walls.

New owners may well make an offer on the entire contents which suit the house so well.

Sarah Brecht has furnished it so carefully and thoughtfully with antiques, textiles and quirky bric-à-brac that it feels like a small museum.

No less than three staircases lead to the top floor, which has a series of bedrooms, either small and cosy for children, or big and lofty with vaulted ceilings and high old beds.

All the bedrooms have ocean views through windows that have kept their original shutters. There are two bathrooms, the largest of which is a big airy room with a stand-alone bath, and a hidden staircase.

With heating on and fires blazing it's hard to imagine a more romantic place to be holed up for winter.

During the summer there is plenty to do, with surfing at Easkey just along the coast and numerous beaches in the area. The property has direct access to the sea, with steps leading down to the rocks, but it's a wild and windy place for a swim.

The courtyard has several buildings that could be renovated. There is also a two-acre walled garden, long gone to seed. The walls are high enough to ensure that parts of it at least could be warm and sheltered on a summer's day.

Toberpatrick is within easy reach of Knock airport which has daily flights to Dublin and to London.