Village’s Main Street family home keeps its €370,000 private space to itself

FOR a village that is packed with social and sporting amenities, and which has services and lifestyle backups aplenty, it seems strange to say that Cork’s Innishannon is often overlooked — especially as motorists have to take their time getting through it.

Set in a an old wooded valley along the N71 main road to West Cork, with the River Bandon passing through the south and just where the tides reach their highest navigable point upriver of Kinsale, the village has medieval roots, and castles both ruined and restored, and was an important place for the weaving industry in the 18th century.

One of the old bleaching fields for line is now a playground, Valley Rovers GAA club and sports centre with lit walking route around its perimeter. It’s also across the road from No 4 Main St, a street-facing family home that gives little away from the road as to what’s within, and without, up the long and lush back garden.

Here, behind the older era terraced four-bed home with a surprising 1,745 sq ft inside, are hidden seating areas, a garden room, sun patio and evening sun spot, all linked and well-tended.

Home hunters of late have come to appreciate the convenience of village centre living, thanks in no small measure to several TV house programmes and ‘living over the shop’ exemplars.

No 4 personifies village life, with an arched entrance with roller door to the private world behind, with rear grounds up to 60m in length, and so much on its doorstep.

A few doors away is the Church of Ireland’s sweetly-detailed 1850s Christ Church C, rather incongruously next to a Centra and a Circle K filling station, while further along is Murphy’s Gala shop, home to the famous author Alice Taylor.

Innishannon Main St is also home to The Found Out Café, top artisan bakery Wildflour, Rohus food market, several bars and take-aways, a garda station and engineering/construction company Evolution Innovation who is a surprisingly large employer. Their former, smaller premises is now a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses, joining other religious denominations represented in the valley community. Another locally-connected building company has been doing painstaking renovation works on several old stone buildings of similar or even older vintage than No 4, by the Gala shop.

Fresh-faced No 4 is listed with a €370,000 AMV with estate agent John Moynihan of Sherry FitzGerald, who says it’s a walk-in and ‘hang up your hat’ job, on a large village plot with on-street parking, close to bus stops too, with frequent city/West Cork services from several carriers.

It’s got a linked front-to- back timber-floored living room connected to a rear kitchen/diner with new kitchen units and double doors to the rear patio, as well as a utility by the front garage/store, plus guest WC.

On the first floor, it has a further reception to the back, plus the main bedroom with large private bathroom, and the top floor had three more bedrooms with characterful sloping ceiling and yet another bathroom.

Condition is excellent, the BER’s an E1 due to age and several fireplaces.

The previous owners of No 4 were both families, and both the home, and the location “have something for everyone,” says Sherry Fitz’s John Moynihan.

VERDICT: The village convenience is a boon, within a short drive of Cork, the airport, Kinsale and Bandon, as well as major employers like Eli Lilly in Dunderrow and MSD in Brinny. While traffic can be congested for those passing through, for Innishannon locals it means you’re just on the point of getting home…