Dream home on Inniscarra Lake with stunning gardens hits the market at €695k

IMAGINE waking every day to WB Yeats’ dream state of a bee-loud glade and the sound of lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore.Such an idyll exists at Westlake, whose owners added flesh, bones, and soul — and about 130 species of trees — over the 26 years that they’ve loved, laughed and lived at the property.  Back in the late 1990s, the east Dripsey house and grounds were a bit of a muddle, home to a couple of families, with sections of land cordoned off by barbed wire — not the most likely spot for a retiring couple. Enter Harriet and Des O’Connell who were ready for anything, having raised four spirited children: former Munster and Ireland rugby legend Ken, his brothers Bryan and Eoin, and sister Jan, a well-known photographer.“We used to walk by the lake when the kids were small, but never imagined that we would ever live here,” Harriet says.The duo relocated in 1999 from their hectic Cork city home in Ashboro, atop Shanakiel, to low-lying Westlake, in a part of east Dripsey called Fergus, on the shores of Inniscarra Lake. It was a dramatic decampment, from a good vantage point in the city overlooking its busyness, to a tranquil waterside site where the only traffic is the swoosh of oars or the low hum of a motorboat pulling a water skier.The gardens at Westlake“We wanted to move to the country and we looked at several places, but when we saw the setting here, we couldn’t resist it, even if it wasn’t in great shape at the time,” Harriet says.They’ve put great shape on it since, building on two wings around 2007, one for Harriet to host bridge parties, the other for Des to watch telly with the menfolk. Des' wingThe wings, added at either end of the original bungalow, jut out towards the lake.“When we moved here, we were supposed to be downsizing, but it ended up bigger than Shanakiel,” laughs Harriet.Harriet got the better deal. Her wing, a conservatory, has a vaulted ceiling and is glazed on three sides.Harriet's hangoutIt’s the ultimate entertainment space.“We had bridge parties, birthday parties, dances, you name it, we held it,” she says.The couple’s 80th birthdays — concelebrated — was a particularly memorable occasion. Gardaí came knocking on foot of complaints about the din.“My granddaughter answered the door and said the noise was from another party across the lake. They went away to check it out and came back to apologise,” laughs Harriet.Westlake was that kind of home, governed by easy cheer and open at all times to family and friends. It opened to visitors too during the seven years that Harriet ran an Airbnb.“People from all over stayed, from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa and Argentina. And we had golfers and rowers from all over,” Des says.Inside dining at WestlakeRowers loved the location, across the river from the National Rowing Centre at Farran. The Lee Valley Golf Club is across the river too. Inniscarra sailing and kayaking club is nearby at Inishleena.Above all else, what makes Westlake special is the setting. The O’Connells can be thanked for that: They spent quarter of a century planting out the 1.5 acres of grounds, and their home is now ringed by natural splendours, from magnificent magnolia trees to cedrus deodara, to a wedding cake tree, to fruit trees.The grounds at Westlake There’s even a couple of stables. Des tends to the expansive lawns on his ride-on lawnmower and, for the enjoyment of grandkids , has built little bridges over the stream that runs down along the eastern boundary.One of the little red bridges built by Des for his grandkids peaks out from the foliage at Westlake You can walk along the stream, under the trees, to the lakeshore, or snooze in a hammock, under a pergola, or eat breakfast on the terrace to the sound of the dawn chorus.It’s all mighty fine.Pergola overhung with wisteria in the grounds at WestlakeHarriet says it’s a tough call to sell five-bedroom Westlake, but this time they genuinely plan to downsize. Robert O’Keeffe of Irish & European is selling the approximately 2,000sq ft house and grounds. “It’s a unique property, with the benefit of private lake frontage and undisturbed, south-facing views of Inniscarra Lake,” he says.Westlake, Drispey, is on 1.5 acresHe points out that walls have been pumped and the roof re-done (energy rating is a D1), but that new owners will probably look at some upgrades.Mr O’Keeffe expects a “mixed bag” of interest, including those who lost out on nearby Knockfree, former home of the Hilser family of jewellers, recently sale agreed. He expects local interest in this area of high scenic value, as well as interest from medics (CUH and the Bon Secours are a 25-minute drive). Ballincollig is a 15-minute spin. Coachford Greenway, Dripsey village, and Inniscarra Lake and walkway are all accessible.The resident robin at WestlakeThe guide price for Westlake is €695,000. VERDICT: Swallows return to a nest above the front door every year. Westlake is that kind of a place. Easy to put roots down, hard to leave. Setting is everything.

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