Bring to Light

This 18th century cottage in County Clare has been in Louise’s family for generations and although Dominic and Louise carried out significant work on the home, the couple was keen to stay true to the original spirit of the locality when they renovated five years ago. In 2017 it was crowned RTE House of the Year.

My grandmother was born in the original cottage, so it wasn’t a case of me choosing the house – it chose me,’ explains Louise. ‘It was a standard style of cottage for its time, just perhaps a bit larger than most in the area because my grandfather farmed the 60 acres of land – my father still farms the surrounding land. It was originally a thatched roof, up a lane on a gentle hilltop but low lying and not too visible, with several outbuildings. When we decided to renovate, we didn’t want to change the aspect of the property.

The footprint is exactly the same as the original cottage and it still looks unassuming. However, the inside is very different to the outside,’ says Louise.

Read more in the June issue…