Poet’s pristine home by sea in Arklow seeks €279,000

Situated at the end of a cul-de-sac, Number 40 The Pines on Sea Road in Arklow is home to poet Peadar O’Donoghue and his wife Colette. The pair who have lived here for the past 20 years produce the Poetry Bus, a magazine, which has made a name for itself, attracting a slew of international poets over the past decade.

Their home “is a wonderful place to live as the beach is just a five-minute walk across the road, which is bordered by a wooded walk with a pond full of ducks” says Peadar, whose book of poetry, Jewel, was a best seller on the Salmon Poetry website.

The house at the end of the estate has the benefit of a large green space adjacent to the property, in addition to their rear garden which is one of the largest in The Pines, and has been developed over the past 20 years with careful plantings of shrubs and some unusual trees, such as tulip and foxglove, set among banks of herbaceous borders.

Complete overhaul

Interiors have been given a complete overhaul by Colette: "My mother used to say that I had champagne taste, but a popsicle budget, and a lot of the interiors came from Ikea. But it is really mid-century furniture I love, so I have tried to use some timeless pieces, such as the grey chair in the kitchen to give that feel."

The property has three bedrooms, one of which is now used as an office where the couple operate their Poetry Bus magazine, now published on an ad hoc basis.

A monochrome palette has been used to good effect in the kitchen and living room, with splashes of colour from an acid yellow chair and some mid-century pottery. “Peadar wasn’t sure about the black in the kitchen, so I started with a patch, and we loved it so much we continued with the colour in the living room, which allows artworks to take centre stage.” Art around the property includes Mike Absalom, and pieces from the Irish Design Shop.

“It was a wonderful place to raise our son, though now that he is in college we are moving further out of town. What makes the location great for families is the quiet neighbourhood, and kids can walk to school, but most importantly children can play safely along the road in the estate,” says Colette.

The property which extends to 100sq m (1,076sq ft) is in turnkey condition and is on the market through DNG Somers with an asking price of €279,000.