At opposite ends of coastal Dublin's train line, here are two homes with gorgeous gardens
With about 40 per cent of the Irish population living within five kilometres of the coast, Dublin’s seaside suburbs have long drawn the well-heeled.
On the north side, Malahide, Howth and Sutton are well-established spots, with Sandycove, Glasthule and Dalkey competing to be the most desirable address on the southside.
Monkstown, parts of Blackrock, Booterstown and Sandymount also offer sea views and promenades, as does coastal Clontarf, parts of Raheny and Baldoyle.
As people are priced out, they journey further out. Two locations are notable. Both emulate Florida’s Miami and boast both a north beach and a south beach.
At the southern Dart terminus is Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Once a sleepy little spot with a pretty harbour, its housing, café and marina development has drawn hordes of day trippers and many new residents, so much so that its population increased by 15 per cent between the census figures of 2016 and 2022 to just over 22,000 at that time.
On the commuter rail line, Skerries is about 33 kilometres from the capital’s train station on Amiens Street, yet still within the county lines of Dublin. Its appeal is similar to Greystones, but it hasn’t been developed to the same degree. This could be its saving grace.
English anthropologist Daniel Miller, who spent 16 months in Skerries studying daily life and chronicled it in his book The Good Enough Life, published two years ago, came to a startling conclusion, The Guardian’s Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll wrote.
“It is hard to find another currently existing society that is demonstrably better.”
Warm tones, in walk-in condition and a garden that will wow
Address: 4 Dublin Road, Skerries, Co. Dublin, K34 EN24
Asking price: €840,000
Agent: DNG McKenna Healy
Once a fishing village, the town has a pretty harbour, north and south beaches, a sailing club, and good connectivity to Dublin Connolly, a journey time of just 34 minutes on the Intercity and 38 minutes on the commuter trains.
It’s about a 30-minute drive to the airport, a distance of about 23 kilometres.
This handsome, four-bedroom, three-bathroom bungalow has been extensively enlarged and reorientated towards its west-facing back garden.
The works, done in 2008, include underfloor heating throughout.
Two of the bedrooms are to the front, with the other two opening onto courtyards to bring in natural light.
There’s a large broken plan space to the back that houses the kitchen, complete with a four-door, gas-operated Aga and a book-lined living room set around a wood-burning stove.
Both of these have exposed brick chimney breasts and enjoy glazing on both sides, with additional light pooling in from the roof glazing.
There’s also a dining area that opens out to the beautifully planted terrace, with a pergola overhead and steps up into the garden.
The C3 Ber-rated house extends to 167 square metres and includes an attic room.
Cool design with South Beach less than a 15-minute walk
Address: Glenties, Church Lane, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, A63YK37
Asking price: €920,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
Look beyond the F Ber-rating of these 122 square metre bungalows. Built in the 1960s, it belongs to an era that is easier to upgrade insulation-wise than heritage houses.
It offers enormous potential to those who have the additional funds to upgrade or reimagine it. It is hidden away, yet within minutes of the main street.
It has large windows and a living room with a feature ceiling that interconnects to the kitchen and through to the dining room.
There is rich oak parquet in a basketweave pattern underfoot.
It has an enormous utility and boot room, spaces that are underutilised in the current layout and an additional 22 square metres of potential space in its workshop.
Then there’s the lofty attic to consider. It extends to 42 square metres, the size of a two-bedroom apartment.
The gardens are mature and well-planted.
