4 OF A KIND... HOMES THAT HAVE POOLS

Take a dip in Donegal

Carraig Ard is a large contemporary house in Burt, Co Donegal, located 8km from Derry City and 25km from Letterkenny.

The house, which has six bedrooms and five bathrooms, was constructed in 2006 but finished in 2013. It has 570sqm of living space, including a 10m heated indoor swimming pool, and occupies a site of just over two-and-a-half acres with views overlooking An Grianan Valley, Inch Island and Lough Swilly. It stands just below Grianan of Aileach, a stone fort dating from the 12th Century, and is near Burt Castle and Inch Wildlife Reserve. Activities in the area include golf on the famous championship courses at Ballyliffin, sailing on Lough Swilly and hill-walking.

AGENT: Sherry FitzGerald Rainey (074) 912 2211

Get wet in Wicklow

Cam Lodge in Kilquade is a luxurious country house set amid two-and-a-half acres of award-winning gardens. The original house was designed by Russian architect Bayan Giltsoff as one of about 20 houses inspired by the dachas of his native country, with exposed beams, lead-paned windows, and cedar shingle roofs in an enclave that came to be known as The Russian Village. The house, approached via a beautiful tree-lined avenue, has since been enhanced, upgraded and extended, with two distinct wings. There are six bedrooms and six bathrooms, plus several reception rooms and a Clive Christian kitchen. There’s a 12m indoor heated pool, plus sauna, as well as a tennis court and detached garage. Greystones is 5km away.

AGENT: Knight Frank (01) 634 2466

Hop in at Howth

Located above Howth’s Carrickbrack

Road, a minute from the summit and with wonderful views over Dublin Bay, Pine Lodge is a large modern home with 687sqm of living space and up to six bedrooms, depending on how the space is configured. The indoor swimming pool with changing facilities is beside the kitchen and there is an outdoor entertainment courtyard with enough seating for summer parties, when those are allowed again. To the side is a large self-contained unit that would work as a home-office or independent living space for a family member or staff, plus a double garage. The grounds include not one but two helicopter pads and the house is perfectly placed for residents to make the most of Howth’s magnificent cliff walks.

AGENT: Lisney (01) 853 6016

Flippers on in Foxrock

Belmont is an attractive gable-fronted Edwardian house located on Kerrymount Avenue in the heart of old Foxrock, on a private site of over an acre. Dating from 1908, the house is typical of its time, with its red-brick bay front, sash windows and timber flooring, and internally there are many architectural details synonymous with the Arts & Crafts period. Belmont has been sympathetically extended over the years to provide for formal entertaining on one side of the house and, with a smart Norman Pratt conservatory, a more homely family ambience on the other. There is 498sqm of living space, with seven bedrooms and three bathrooms. Outside, there’s a tennis court with a pavilion, as well as an outdoor heated pool and a flat area ideal for kicking a ball.

AGENT: Sherry FitzGerald (01) 289 4386