I bought the cottage 20 years ago in 1980 for £15,000 and at the time everyone said I was mad. My grandparents were from here. I'd spent every summer down at their farm and drank my first pint at McDaniels, so the links were there.

The house was very small - about 500 sq ft - so we built three extensions and now there are five bedrooms. Its in the hills at the far side of Castletimon, with a sheltered western aspect, about two miles from Brittas Bay. Brittas Bay is a lovely place to live. There are 200 acres of forestry on the hill behind McDaniel's and plans for a coastal walk from Wicklow over the mountain and down along the beach.

Young people are finding it very difficult to stay in the area; 15 years ago you could get a site for £10,000. Now it will cost up to £100,000, assuming you can get one. Young married couples have moved out even though they're extending the local school. It is totally dead in winter.

It's the opposite of Courtown here. There's no actual public sewerage facility but there are no votes in Brittas, so it gets put back all the time. We're trying to get a group water scheme off the ground with EU grants but most people have their own wells and don't want the extra cost.

We also hope the church will give the old community hall back to the people. We've offered to do all the restoration work.

Brittas Bay's a wonderful place to live and its where I'm from - I can't imagine living anywhere else.