This week’s Dream Home is like something from a movie and with a name like Mermaid Isle, you’ll be having visions of it for some time.
Mermaid Isle is a resort-like ocean-front retreat in Glanlough Lower, near Sneem in Co Kerry.
Described by selling agent Majella O’Sullivan as “a place to spark the imagination, reopen your senses and rekindle your love of life,” this is one home that is truly unique.
Nestled in a protected inlet of Kenmare Bay in Co Kerry, Mermaid Isle features 4,000ft of private shoreline, a main house offering 423sqm of living space, a natural harbour and forest.
Lovingly restored and extended by a nature-loving American couple in recent years, the home was a fisherman's cottage that has been transformed into a secluded ocean-front hideaway that sits on 25 acres of land.
Hidden away down a boreen between Sneem and Caherdaniel, Mermaid Isle is marine heaven, with the property facing out to sea where dolphins cruise the rockpools and seals swim under the living room windows.
The main house, which has the sea on three sides, is a striking timber building based on the design of 14th century Irish barns and warmed by the stoves fuelled by turf cut on the property with a party-sized hot tub right on the water.
The barn-style main house has six bedrooms and three bathrooms and was built in 2001 from Californian Douglas Fir and features magnificent curved braces, medieval-style stuck frames and hand-cared oak pegs. Antique materials have been sourced from old churches and manor houses, including French casement windows with stained glass from old churches, reclaimed marble and limestone.
The acclaimed home, which has featured in many Irish and international newspapers over the years, has much to boast about including a seaside five-person hot-tub with foot dome, a boat launching slipway and mooring and an abundant array of wildlife to enjoy watching.
Set on a private gated road, Mermaid Isle offers crystal-clear water for sports or fishing, as well as its own private water supply from a 280ft deep bored well and a triple chamber waste water treatment plant.
Located within an International Dark Sky Reserve for excellent star-gazing, Mermaid Isle is listed on Admiralty charts for safe moorage for ocean-going yachts during Atlantic storms.
The home itself offers a library, atrium, laundry, fitness studios and office spaces, as well as 2-3 heated, insulated garage spaces or gallery, workshop, media rooms.
With massive skylights and heavy insulation for passive solar heating, the property has a B1 energy rating and highly insulated A+ rated tempered windows and doors.
One of the main highlights of the property, aside from its incredible setting, is the light-filled open-plan atrium, which is accessed via huge double doors and features Chinese slate tiling.
Off the atrium, the kitchen is charmingly rustic but still features all mod cons, including a stainless-steel range cooker, American-style fridge-freezer and dishwasher.
Just off the famed King of Kerry roadway, this most scenic of properties is located in one of Ireland’s most beautiful areas.
Find out more about Mermaid Isle on MyHome at www.myhome.ie/5021745 or contact selling agent Majella O’Sullivan on 064 664 2101.
Follow MyHome on WhatsApp for all the latest property news and advice.
