If you have ever dreamed of a spacious, sunny, period farmhouse overlooking the sea, set in a wild and rocky landscape with wide open skies and sunsets, this is the place for you. The location is peaceful and quiet, not overlooked, but not too remote with the bustling market town of Bantry about ten miles away.

The cottage could provide extra room for teenage children or family and friends. We have used it for friends and run it successfully for seven years as a holiday rental cottage and we know further development of this business is possible.

If you need extra work space the workshop could be used for painting, making chutney, working out, restoring old cars, either as a hobby or on a commercial basis. If you want to do it – there is room here.

The vegetable garden and orchard are highly productive and the south facing field would be excellent for growing on a commercial scale or keeping ponies or donkeys. The large garden with spectacular specimen trees and shrubs could be a real plantsman’s paradise.

If you are actively retired there is glorious walking straight from the house, sailing from Ahakista, golf in Bantry and a wide range of other local activities.

Alternatively, if you want to just relax and enjoy life, the properties have all been recently restored by the current owners and are in move-in condition.

This property is outstanding as it is and has an unusual amount of potential for a variety of uses.

THIS COULD BE THE PROPERTY FOR YOU

You can see more images of this property in our Gallery

Owners' Statement from Andrew and Rachel Cheyne

This is a very special and unusual place on the Sheep's Head, quite out of the ordinary.

For twelve years we have really enjoyed the wide open spaces, huge skies, magnificent sunrises and sunsets, sea views and rocky landscape. We can watch the sun come up over Mount Gabriel while still snug in bed and listen to the dawn chorus. We have recorded over seventeen different birds in the garden and have a resident pheasant and swallows who return every year.

This is a happy, light house with spectacular views from most of the large rooms. We can sit in the sunroom with a mug of coffee and watch fishermen working in the bay with seagulls swirling after them. Occasionally we have seen dolphins too.

We have used the two storey cottage, a real dote, as a tranquil refuge for friends and, for the past seven years, as a successful self catering business with mainly American visitors (see www.homeaway.com /182990 and link to guestbook).

We use the original farmhouse (c. 1750), opposite for storage and as a utility area. for the cottage.

We like fresh vegetables and have grown these all year round in three raised beds. The fruit cage houses blackcurrants and autumn raspberries. Prolific apple and pear trees produce every year in the orchard, though the plums have not done much yet - maybe this year! We have not used pesticides.

Andrew has converted the fourth building into a large heated, air conditioned workshop where he has restored Ferguson tractors and a Sunbeam car.

As we have kept a keel boat here for some years we have laid a deep water mooring at Kitchen Cove in Ahakista, five minutes down the road.

We have been very happy here and have made many friends in this strong and welcoming international and national local community, but we have decided it is time for us to move back to England to be nearer our family.

For more information please: email andrew [at] cheyne.net, or call us: +353 27 61037. You can also view our listing on rightmove.com

BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE PROPERTY AT KEALTIES GATHERED FROM NEIGHBOURS AND OTHERS VISITING, WHILE TRACING THEIR ROOTS

Circa 1750. A stone farmhouse was built on the south side of the Old Road between Durrus and Ahakista. Immediately to the west of this dwelling house were some contemporary buildings for the farm animals. The existing cottage stands on the foundations of the farm buildings. The stone farmhouse is one of the oldest buildings on the peninsula.

Circa 1880. Estimated date of construction of the 'White Farm House' where we now live.

Circa 1922 An O'Donovan family owns the farm and then in 1930 an O'Sullivan family buys it after which it transfers to an English lady, Miss Ormerod She sells it with 40 acres to Timothy O'Donovan and Nora. Their son, Brendan, now lives at the top of the hill going west. They sold it to John and Elizabeth Breckenridge, from Africa, in the early 60s'. Andrew and Rachel bought the property in December 1997 and extensively renovated all parts of it. A more detailed history is available on request.