Doing the strand in the sunny south east
Two main receptions at The Burrow have uninterrupted views of Rosslare strand, writes Mark Keenan
THE BURROW Rosslare Strand Rosslare, Co Wexford Asking price: €729,000 Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Haythorntwaite
THE year 1959 saw Hawaii and Alaska join the United States, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, the Soviet Luna 2 became the first man made object to land on the moon. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, Ben Hur launched in cinemas and Sean Lemass became Taoiseach to begin a new open era of growth for Ireland. It was also the year that Rosslare recorded
1,996 hours of sunshine — an Irish ray record that still stands today.
There’s a good reason why generations of Dubliners have become attached to the sunny south east for both holidays and retirement to Rosslare in particular, to which they have been holidaying for just over 100 years.
Even though it might be cloudy when you get there, Rosslare is still officially Ireland’s sunniest spot, receiving 300 hours (25 days with the nights taken out) above the Irish average each and every year.
For the fourth cloudiest country in the world (northern Ireland is apparently third, Scotland second and Iceland in first place) this is great going.
Those city dwellers who are seeking to retire to Rosslare today are the same generation who spent pre cheap flight childhood summers on Rosslare’s sandy strands armed with buckets and spades and nourished with lashings of warm red lemonade and sandy packages of ham sandwiches with a crunch in every bite.
Dublin down traders of all means have always been a big part of the property market in Wexford, but those selling more expensive properties in the capital tend to target Rosslare in particular.
Its larger homes suit their more expansive budgets and enable their new owners to house extended families and visiting parties of friends during the summer months. A good example of what’s on offer is The Burrow, a beach-front home at Rosslare Strand which has just been brought to market by Sherry FitzGerald Haythorntwaite — asking €729,000.
Rosslare Strand is a Blue Flag beach which runs the entire length of the southern Rosslare peninsula which in turn protrudes into Wexford Harbour.
Adding character (and even more sand) is the fact that it has been segmented by a series of timber breakwaters designed to retain the tidal deposits.
This also means plenty of sand for bunkers and Rosslare is golf central. There are a number of very popular golf courses in the vicinity as well as hotels and award -winning restaurants like the Ferryport House and Wild and Native.
The popularity of Rosslare for summer breaks has also seen a good amount of holiday home development taking place in recent years, much of it driven by grants.
The Burrow is a modern bespoke four bedroom detached home of 2,800 sq ft with uninterrupted views from its two main reception rooms of the famous strand and the setting sun in the evenings. It’s also located within walking distance of the well-known Kelly’s Resort Hotel and the Rosslare Golf club.
It has four bedrooms in all with two situated on the first floor and two on the lower ground floor. For those who need it, a fifth could be added by converting the garage. There’s an ensuite bathroom and also a dressing room off the master bedroom chamber.
The main living area includes a dining area which flows into the kitchen.
At lower ground floor level is a mosaic decorated main bathroom, a laundry room, a wine cellar for stashing plenty of decent vintages for a rainy day and there’s also direct access into the garage.
The house also has the advantage of sitting on a half acre of ground, offering plenty of opportunities for dedicated gardeners who have long vowed to make their escape into the garden from the rat race working day. It comes with the benefit of oak floors and downlighters in the hall and there’s a guest WC with a tiled floor and part tiled walls. There’s also a decent utility room off the main kitchen which comes with a good sized central island unit crowned by a solid marble worktop.
There are panoramic sliding doors which also act as floor to ceiling windows and these lead out onto a very large raised decking area. This is where you’ll be having your barbecues. For more humdrum tasks, the house also has its own laundry room with a tiled floor and plenty of built-in storage and shelving as well as plumbing for a washing machine and a tumble dryer.
The family bathroom comes with a feature raised bath which also benefits from an overhead shower. There’s also a custom built-in wash hand basin with a marble top on it.
Between the weather, the beach, the wine cellar, the golf, the garden, the deck, and the restaurants, it has pretty much everything a retirement couple would need. And (by Irish standards at least), you won’t find any place sunnier.