An aerial shot of Rathlin O Birne, of Malinbeg, in County Donegal.MyHome
Talk about a dream! Imagine owning your own island off Ireland? Some lucky duck just went sale agreed on this spectacular property.
An island in County Donegal, Rathlin O Birne, went on the market in early 2019 for just $84,200 (€75,000) and it sold! The private lands come with two lighthouse cottages. Can you imagine!
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The property went on the market at the beginning of June and was advertised on MyHome.ie. The Irish media quickly picked up on the story not because it’s such a romantic and idyllic setting but because of the property’s low cost as The Sun put it “is less than the cost of most one-bedroom apartments throughout Ireland.”
The cottage and lighthouse on Rathlin O Birne, County Donegal.
The cottages have six bedrooms and measure over 2,550 square feet. The only drawback is that the lighthouse does not come with the property. It is a fully functional, remotely controlled lighthouse, operated and managed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
The real estate agents describe the property as “ (2) x derelict residential buildings (all in-need of substantial modernization and upgrading) flanked by a fully functional, remotely controlled lighthouse currently operated and managed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and excluded entirely from the overall sale. Located only a short boat trip from mainland villages of Malinbeg and Teelin and slightly longer from the fishing port of Killybegs access points from the mainland are within easy reach.”
Where in the world is Rathlin O Birne.
Although the houses do need a lot of TLC the property itself boasts of breathtaking views, surrounded by the Atlantic Oceans with panoramic views towards Slieve League and Silver Stand Beach, in Malinbeg.
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The island itself is about three nautical miles off the mainland of Donegal, at Malinbeg Head, due west of Donegal Town.
An aerial shot of Rathlin O Birne island.
Rathlin O Birne also includes a grassy headland which is connected to the main island by a sea arch, bound by stone walls. The result is a beautiful sheltered walkway to the main access point on to the island, positioned on the mainland side.
One of the cottages on Rathlin O Birne.
The property has an amazing history. Built between 1847 and 1856 the property was designed by George Halpin. He was the man behind the supervision and construction throughout Ireland, including Tory Island, St. John’s Point, Fanad Head, Inishowen, Rotten Island near Killybegs and Inishtrahull, in County Donegal.
The real estate agents, DNG Dorrian, based in Killybegs, describe the cottages as a "unique coastal hideaway positioned in Donegal Bay."
Their only warning, apart from the fact that the property needs a great deal of modernization, was that there are no services on the island.
Still, we're pretty darn jealous of whoever snapped this one up.
For more visit MyHome.ie.
What do you think? Would you love to buy this property off the coast of Donegal? Let us know in the comments section below.
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* Originally published in June 2019.