Edwardian Home For Sale in Co. Donegal

History
Originally built in c.1908 as a summer house for one of the family members of Masinass House, Cúlfraoich has stayed true to its heritage for over 100 years as a private home for families to enjoy its isolation with the surrounding nature, wildlife, mountains and ever-changing seascapes. It was sold to the artist Richard Haworth and his wife who was a potter in the c.1960’s who extended the property adding the artists studio. The present owner’s family visited The Gallery, an art space in Dunfanaghy, in 1977 and admired one of Haworth’s works. They however were told that the piece had already been sold but they could visit him at his home Cúlfraoich to see more of his work. They bought one of his oils and very much admired his Edwardian home and surprisingly Haworth told them the house was also for sale, so they decided to buy both the painting and the house that day.

Description
Cúlfraoich is an Edwardian period house in an idyllic waterfront estuary setting alongside the Faymore River and overlooking the calm inlet of Sheephaven Bay. Exuding old world charm, the house was built c. 1908 and is privately situated within private gardens and its own grounds extending to about 20 acres. The translation of Cúlfraoich means back of the heather as it is nestled at the foot of Muckish mountain which offers an impressive backdrop.

A gated entrance opens onto a sweeping driveway which leads down towards the house. An impressive porch with a four-column veranda to the front of the house opens into the entrance hallway which offers access to the main reception rooms. The kitchen features a tiled floor, sash windows and access to the courtyard, while the living room includes a stunning fireplace, coving, ceiling rose and shuttered windows. Continuing through the hallway there is a sunroom with a south facing aspect. There is a shower room / wc on the ground floor.

The first floor includes the master bedroom with feature fitted wardrobes and an ensuite. There are two further double bedrooms. The accommodation of the main house extends to approximately 170 sq m / 1,835 sq ft.

There is also a self-contained annex which includes a bedroom suite and a charming artist’s studio which requires some renovation and modernisation. This offers a further 47 sq m / 512 sq ft of accommodation, and we understand this extension was built in c.1960’s by the artist Richard Haworth.

In all the accommodation extends to about 218 sq m / 2,347 sq ft, with a full layout shown on the adjoining floorplans.

Outbuildings
There is access to a courtyard from the kitchen which connects to a carport and general-purpose stores, extending to about 8.6 sq m / 92 sq ft, to the side of the house.

Gardens & Grounds
The gardens and grounds are a key feature of the property providing utter privacy in a mature woodland setting. The house itself is surrounded by native rowan, beech, holly trees, a fig tree, clematis, rhododendron and hydrangea shrubs. There is a small orchard with mature apple, conference pear, damson, plum, greengage trees and scotts pine. Local wildlife found here include otters, foxes, badgers, rabbits and deer.

Immediately to the north of the house is a formal garden with a magnificent outlook over Sheephaven Bay. Mature woodland surrounding the house provides wonderful walks and amenity. Abounding the Faymore River, there was previously a small jetty that could take a small sailboat at high tide.

The farmland consists of mainly grassland which bounds the Faymore River to the northwest. The adjoining Faymore River flows into the inlet of Sheephaven Bay and has extensive salt marsh which has developed on the low-lying farmland surrounding the property. There is plentiful wildlife in this area including barnacle geese, whooper swans which arrive on 14th February every year, oyster catchers, snipe, brent geese (migrating from Greenland to winter on the salt flats and tidal strand in the autumn). In all, the grounds extend to about 20 acres / 8 hectares in total.

Local Information
County Donegal is located on the north-westerly tip of Ireland and is considered one of Ireland’s most beautiful and unspoilt counties which is renowned for its history, heritage, and landscape. Donegal is typified by its dramatic towering sea cliffs, rolling lush hills and stunning beaches.

Local services are in both Creeslough (1 km) and Portnablagh (7 km) which offers local amenities such as shopping, bars and restaurants. Dunfanaghy village (9 km) offers restaurants, hotels, gastro pubs and watersports, while further options are available in the main shopping hub of Letterkenny (26 km), which offers the Atlantic Technological University and is the largest and most populous town in Donegal and considered to be the economic centre of the north-west region.

Local areas of interest include Doe Castle (4.5 km) on the next inlet, Ards Forest Park which is a 1200-acre park with wonderful trails (5.5 km) and Glenveagh National Park (18 km) – a hillwalker’s paradise with its mountains, lakes, waterfalls and woodland. Muckish mountain, with its miner’s trail, and Mount Errigal (20 km), Donegal’s tallest mountain are part of Donegal’s ‘Seven Sisters” range in the Derryveagh Mountains and are both popular amongst hikers and walkers.

Creeslough is a great destination for visiting anglers, with three fishing lakes around the village. For golfing enthusiasts, Rosapenna Golf Resort in Downings (15 km) has two championship links courses – Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris – and a third course St Patrick’s Links by Tom Doak which recently opened in the Summer of 2021. Dunfanaghy Golf Club (9.5 km) also offers one of the finest links courses in the country.

Donegal is also famed for its quality water sports with many tourists coming to the area specifically to surf and sail the coast at all times of the year. The nearby beaches at Marble Hill (7.5 km), Portnablagh (7.5 km) and Dunfanaghy (10 km) are visually magnificent and some of the best in the country being very popular amongst swimmers, surfers, bathers and walkers.

In terms of connectivity, there is a local bus service McGinley’s which is a cross country service that connects directly to Dublin Airport and Dublin City from the village of Creeslough. City of Derry Airport (47 km) offers flights to UK destinations and onwards while Donegal Airport (57 km) offers local connections within Ireland and Scotland.

BER Details
BER G
BER No.115993180