Up a winding road in the heart of Howth village is 2 Dunbo Cottages, a two-storey terraced house with 78sq m (840sq ft) of space. The owners, a young family, live in it as a three-bedroom house, using the small downstairs reception room as a child’s bedroom. That’s on one side of the hall in the pretty double-fronted cottage. On the other is an open-plan living room with an upgraded compact kitchen area at one end. The cosy room has a cast-iron fireplace and the floor tiles were laid recently as part of a decorative upgrade. Upstairs, past a neatly planned understairs shower room, are two double bedrooms and a smartly renovated bathroom.

The house is in a short cul-de-sac with the front door opening directly on to the lane. It has no garden or outdoor space: the garden that runs to the rear and seen out the kitchen window belongs to a neighbouring house. A tiny area off the hall may once have been open to the elements but has in recent years been covered in with a Perspex roof. The property on the other side of the cottage at the end of the cul-de-sac has right-of-way access past number 2 so there is no parking to the front.

Interested viewers are likely to be downsizers from the area or retirees who appreciate the buzzy northside fishing village and who will consider the tucked-away property as an alternative to an apartment. It could also appeal to younger buyers, like the present owners, as the location is within a short stroll of all the village’s amenities including the Dart station.

The Ber is E2, so improving its energy efficiency will likely be on the to-do list of new owners. Property supply in Howth is never great, as people who live on the peninsula tend to stay there for generations – and during the past year in particular, having sea swimming and so many beautiful walks on the doorstep, has been a greatly appreciated boon.

Number 2 Dunbo Cottages is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald asking €450,000.