Sneem Co. Kerry: Luxurious island retreat
Family friends enjoy the hot tub on the grounds of Mermaid Isle, near Sneem
More photos:Friday February 06 2009
Lovingly restored and extended by a nature-loving American couple, Mermaid Isle in Co Kerry was a fisherman's cottage that has been transformed into a secluded oceanfront hideaway and sits on 25 acres of land.
Mermaid Isle, Illaundrane, Glanlough Lower, is a spectacular 25-acre oceanfront property close to Sneem in Co Kerry, on sale for €7.5m.
Owned by self-confessed "historical and nature nuts" Kevin O'Farrell and Lori Kearney, the property includes two striking homes on 12 acres of the mainland.
It also consists of half a 26-acre private island, turbary rights to three acres of bog and has over 4,000ft of shoreline, two hot tubs, boat launches and moorings.
The American couple, who both have Irish roots, moved here from San Francisco some 23 years ago.
In 1986, while visiting the area, they fell head over heels in love with a coastal cottage located down an impassable boreen.
"We almost ran back to the auctioneer's with cash in hand to put a deposit down," recalls Kevin.
So began a labour of love that saw Kevin, Lori and their two daughters crossing the Atlantic to spend time in their wild Irish haven.
"We did up the old fisherman's cottage, removing walls dividing three tiny bedrooms to make a single larger bedroom with fireplace," explains Kevin.
They replaced modern windows with locally handmade, but double-paned, wooden casement windows.
They also added a large conservatory, and refurbished the kitchen, bathroom and other areas with classic antique pitch-pine and all the mod cons.
However, the cottage was not big enough to do all their living, working and entertaining in.
"So we designed a larger building, inspired by medieval Irish barns, common before the demise of the great oak forests, right on the shore of the our private cove," explains Kevin.
The 418sqm (4,500sq ft) post and beam building has taken the owners 10 years to complete.
It is a classic labour of love, with centuries-old windows, doors and other features sourced from old convents, churches and manor homes.
Some of the beams weigh a tonne each and the oak pegs were hand-carved from a stump in the local Sneem forest named Hollywood.
Designed on three levels, the property has six bedrooms, three large bathrooms and is surrounded by the sea on three sides.
It contains a library, arboretum, laundry, fitness, studios and office spaces. It also has three heated and insulated garage spaces which are designed to accommodate galleries, workshops or media rooms.
"I think this place would be a fantastic setting for a marine study or education centre," suggests Kevin.
For the world-renowned museum designer and his nature-loving wife, both homes are natural observatories nestled in wooded groves and open to the sun.
Kevin's designs have been used in major natural history museums in North America and aquaria and ecology centres throughout the world.
He has studied and written about ancient cultures ranging from the Native American Indians to the Chinese and now the Irish.
The private island, Illaundrane, which means "island of the blackthorns", acts as a windbreaker, protecting Mermaid Isle from the wild Atlantic ocean waves.
The 40ft deep bay is known as a safe moorage by sailors and it is common for British and French yachts to set anchor in front of the house during the summer months. Dolphins can regularly be seen in the surrounding waters and there is a seal rookery close by where they bask in the sun.
"Just last week, a small white Pygmy Sperm Whale, which looked exactly like a mini Moby Dick, washed into Mermaid Isle. It was only the seventh ever recorded in Ireland," says the owner.
He and Lori have set up a website, www.mermaidisle.net, which has all the details of this unusual and exceptionally beautiful property.
Dominic J Daly is quoting €7.5m. 021 4277399
