This whopper of a home on the water’s edge in Furbo, a 10-minute drive from Salthill in Galway, is one of the few homes in the area to offer the opportunity to dip your “feet in the water”.
The site, purchased by current owners, had permission to erect four considerable homes here on the water in the south Connemara Gaeltacht village. They developed the houses four years ago and retained this one for themselves.
Number 1 Gaoth na Mara – meaning “sea breeze” – extends to a generous 321sq m (3,455sq ft), gently rolls down to the water’s edge: “It’s a lovely thing to go down to the sea with a cup of coffee in the morning. You can do it barefoot and have a look at the sailing boats, Galway hookers, fishing boats and even a few cruise liners as they go by. It would put you in good form for the day to wake up to that,” explains one of its residents.
It is totally private, lying at the end of a long driveway – a bit of Selling Sunset, Galway style. The place to sit to take in sea vistas at the end of the day would be in the hot tub on the upper terrace, where views extend over to the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and the three Aran Islands, as well as the expanse of Galway Bay.
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Set over two floors, it has an A2 energy rating thanks to underfloor heating, an air-to-water heat pump system, good insulation with lots of solar gain due to vast swathes of glazing, including a 26ft-wide window without any breaks. It can get warm with all that glass, so owners installed air conditioning for the main bedroom and reception rooms should they feel too warm in summer.
An open-plan kitchen, dining and living space takes centre stage. A custom-designed Cucina kitchen has a breakfast bar, Corian worktops and opens to a sunny patio. A more formal living space has a custom-designed fireplace, so as not to detract from sea views, while the entire ground floor has delicately veined white marble underfoot, all warmed by underfloor heating.
With six bedrooms it’s a most versatile space, and two bedrooms are being used as a home office and yoga room.
Details such as a security-camera system, a surround-sound system, floor-to-ceiling glazing and a bespoke Matrix double-sided electric fireplace show the expensive fittings in the property. But it will be the sea views and indeed the sea itself at end of the garden, along with the contemporary A-rated house, that will clinch the deal.
The sea at the end of the garden is a fine place to pick cockles and mussels, but the best spot for a swim are beaches about 500m either side. Golf is available at clubs in Barna and Galway Bay, while the village of Moycullen is also within easy reach.
Number 1 Gaoth na Mara has an entry on the Property Price Register in January this year as having sold for €810,572.69 – but this was an intercompany transfer.
Owners are downsizing from their significant home and have placed it on the market through joint agents DNG Country Homes & Estates and DNG Maxwell Heaslip Leonard, seeking €2 million.
