Co Leitrim/from €385,000: Houses at the Lough Rynn Castle Estate border a Nick Faldo-designed golf course with views of rolling countryside, writes Kate McMorrow

Leitrim, that most undiscovered of counties, is a great place to go for a restful break from city strife. Yes, it does seem to rain a lot, but rarely heavily and the soft misty landscape has a magic of its own.

Lough Rynn is in McGahern country, close to Mohill and 10 minutes from Dromod. The Hanly Group is launching detached houses in the final phase of its Section 23 Lough Rynn Castle Estate development, with large detached houses and a few smaller courtyard houses on offer. Hooke & MacDonald and Property Partners Lloyd are joint selling agents.

Prices start at €559,000 for the 37 four-bedroom houses, which come with a good standard of finish. Twelve three-bedroom townhouses from €385,000 are also for sale.

The Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism John O'Donoghue yesterday officially launched the Lough Rynn venture. Championship golfer Nick Faldo, who has designed the undulating lake-side course, was also in attendance.

Lough Rynn Estate is the former ancestral home of the Earls of Leitrim, beautifully situated on 300 acres of parkland and walled gardens. The Gothic Victorian manor house is now a five-star 58-bedroom hotel, furnished in traditional style and reminiscent of interiors at Ashford Castle.

A championship golf course designed by Nick Faldo and due for completion in 2007 follows the lake shore, while the houses are in a secluded courtyard and border the golf course. Membership of the club comes free to purchasers and a golf buggy is supplied with each detached house.

Lough Rynn investors can avail of Rural Renewal tax breaks on 75 per cent of the purchase price on all rental income in this jurisdiction, while owner-occupiers can set this sum against all income over a 10-year period.

Rental prospects look good, with the hotel, spa and leisure club close by. This should improve next year when the championship course is expected to be up and running.

The 31 detached houses from €559,000 come in four different styles and sizes, from 140sq m (1,510sq ft) to 173sq m (1,860sq ft). A dozen 117sq m (1,260sq ft) three-bedroom townhouses, which were held back from an earlier launch, are also for sale, priced from €375,000.

The courtyard townhouses are connected by phone to the hotel. If fitted out to five-star standards at a cost of €40,000, these can be offered to the hotel for rental.

Exteriors of the detached houses have a distinctive local look, with stone facing, granite sills and decorative teak facia boards. Inside, porcelain tiles on the hall floor are part of the package. A galleried landing provides plenty of natural light to the stairwell and hall.

Some houses use the rooms either side of the front door as a sittingroom and guest bedroom, with a huge kitchen/diningroom and laundry spanning the back. Others have a small sittingroom to the right and an L-shaped sitting/diningroom and open-plan kitchen across the hall.

Standard in all the houses are smart Alno kitchens with granite worktops and built-in appliances and a utility with laundry appliances. Surround sound and central vacuuming are also included. Sittingroom fireplaces in cream limestone are attractive.

All of the bedrooms are doubles, two with en suite showers and walk-in dressingrooms. Main bathrooms are fully tiled in shades of grey and taupe. Some bedrooms have unusual A-shaped windows following the roof line. Gardens are particularly large, with a cobbled terrace and expanse of lawn which will be maintained by the estate management company.

Townhouses have an open-plan living/diningroom and kitchen, with all the luxurious features of the larger houses, such as granite worktops and smart bathrooms. Doors open to a small lawned garden which is communal for easy maintenance.

Interior design by Catriona Hanly and Cotton Box is worth a mention and could be replicated by new owners.

Previous schemes by the Hanly Group include Rocky Valley in Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow, Carrickmines Green off the Glenamuck Road, Carrickmines and Belfry Hall in Citywest.

Construction is well under way at Lough Rynn and buyers can expect to move in between December this year and January 2007. Viewing is today from noon and over the weekend.

The five-star hotel in the Victorian main house is already open and the diningroom has become a mecca for well-heeled locals. Manager Adrian Harkins, formerly of La Stampa and Kildare Manor, is confident of an award for their cuisine in the not too distant future.