Cottage in Carraroe near Galway city - but a world away
What and where
A cottage with four acres of land in Carraroe in the Connemara Gaeltacht for €260,000 (or €220,000 for cottage and two acres). The four acres are in a long ribbon parallel to a lake in Derrartha Beag, Carraroe, Co Galway. As you come to the heart of Carraroe, there's a large lake and our cottage and land are on the far side it - less than an hour's drive from Galway city, but seeming a world away.
Describe the house
The house is a small thatched stone cottage built in the old style - two rooms downstairs with chimneys at the gable ends. There's an original wide, open fireplace in the main room with stone seats on either side. In the smaller room, which became our kitchen, we set a range for cooking and for heat.
The stonework of the cottage is solid; the man who built the house for his family is said to have been one of the most renowned stonemasons in the community in his day. Rocks and stones are there at hand for every task; borders for flowerbeds, to build up pens and make fields safe for animals. We lived a dream of self sufficiency in the cottage, busy noon till night, planting, tending animals, caring for the children, (two, a boy and a girl, both born in the cottage) and the house is hardly changed.
This means that modern amenities are yet to be created in and around the cottage. We had a windmill with 12 volt power for music and light; mains electricity is still a distance of two poles away. There is a septic tank for an outside toilet, but no bathroom. The woodwork of windows and doors needs to be repaired; extensions and renovations are certainly needed for modern living.
Why are you moving?
My former husband and I always knew that we would not stay. We come from far away and thought we'd travel with our children to show them other parts of the world.
What's the best thing about it?
When we first found the cottage, it was like a picture-book place. It filled us with delight to rekindle life within it; we would light the fires and lamps and run outside into the night to look back and laugh at how lovely this small house seemed in becoming a home again. Some of our neighbours tell us they used to come to dances here at the cottage when they were young men. Returning home from the lively centre of Carraroe at night, there's the quiet of the night, the smell of turf fires and you can see the stars clearly. Once, we saw the aurora borealis lighting up the night sky with vivid sheets of colour. There are beaches nearby, and piers for fishing from.
And the neighbourhood
People think nostalgically of an Irish way of life that has disappeared - but here in Connemara we found it still. There are people who keep their doors open, with the fire lit in the hearth, so that anyone passing knows they are welcome.
Who would like to live in your house?
Someone who loves to grow things, or who loves animals would love it, with all the space around. Someone with a head and/or a heart for renovating a special place in an Irish landscape or someone who loves the Irish language.
Perhaps someone who needs to be near to Galway city but also wants the calm of the countryside.
To view
Barna Estates 091 592604; Frank Conroy Auctioneers 091 552503
Pitch your house
Do you want to pitch your house in the property pages? Email words and pictures, including one of yourself, to us at property@irish-times.ie
