By Catherine Shanahan,Irishexaminer.com

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KILLEAGH’S elevation to near-mythic status thanks to the misty-eyed lyrics of Irish band Kingfishr has done the East Cork village no harm at all. Having accumulated about 90m streams globally, it’s certainly put the parish on the map. Brand Killeagh has never been stronger.

Against this profile-boosting backdrop, house hunters who previously would have bypassed the hamlet might give it a second look. If young lads are waxing lyrical about being buried there, there’s surely something to it?

Even if the song is not on your radar, the property for sale here, in Ballinteosig, a couple of minutes outside Killeagh village, is worth a second look, if you’re in the hunt for a roomy family home in East Cork.

It has all the right dimensions for a growing household: five bedrooms, an equal number of bathrooms, tonnes of living space (3,800sq ft), and 1.25a to play on. It’s an eye-catching design too, with some Scandinavian influence brought to bear on the external look.

The current owners bought it as a site with full planning permission back in 2006. “We were living in Glounthaune at the time, but it was getting a bit built up for us. We wanted peace and tranquility and that’s what we got when we bought this house,” the owner says. Surrounded by farmland and picturesque countryside, it’s an extremely private site, entered via electric gates at the bottom of a sweeping driveway.

The woman of the house is largely responsible for how good the expansive garden looks, having put almost 20 years into getting it to this mature, landscaped state.

Their home is encircled by attractive shrubbery, and a green perimeter encloses the entire property. The two best spots to enjoy her handiwork are from the sandstone patio to the rear or from the upstairs balcony, accessed via French doors off one of the large bedrooms.

There are four sets of French doors in all, with patio access from the open-plan kitchen/dining room and the lounge, which has an attractive box bay window.

Additional accommodation includes a home office/study and a downstairs en suite bedroom.

The owners enjoyed their time at the property and take with them special memories of Christmases when extended family would come and stay “and we’d have a couple of fires going and a couple of Christmas trees”.

It’s too big for them now though and with one to-ing and fro-ing to a teaching job in Cork City and the other hoping to spend more time indulging his passion for horses, it’s time to sell up.

Auctioneer John Hornibrook of Colbert & Co already has an offer of the asking price of €675,000, but expects it will go higher.

“There’s good interest. The house is as good inside as it looks on the outside,” he says, adding that everything about it is “quality”, including the B2 rating.

Location-wise, it’s just a few minutes’ drive from Killeagh village and has almost immediate access to the N25 for travel to Cork City (about 40 minutes by car). Beaches are within a 10/15-minute reach and the town of Midleton is a 20-minute spin. Inch national school is two minutes away.

VERDICT: Rural but accessible quality family home near village shops, woods, beaches, and did we mention the local rarin’, tearin’ GAA club?