The boathouse: modern house by the sea

This house is situated on the seafront on the Loop Head peninsula in county Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
With stunning sea views from every room taking in the wild Atlantic, the Kerry Mountains, and the passing ships on the Shannon estuary, the five metre tides on the west coast of Ireland guarantees that the scenery changes by the hour.
It is located on the shore road in Querrin which has virtually no traffic, but is only 1 minute off the Wild Atlantic Way and within 10 minutes of the coastal towns of Kilkee and Kilrush with their traditional pubs, seafood restaurants and lively nightlife.
Located only 15 minutes from the ferry to Kerry it is the ideal base to explore the beautiful west coast counties of Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Galway while also having the option of just chilling on the sun deck beside the seven person hot tub or on the beach.
There are seven bedrooms and six bathrooms with sleeping and living accommodation for 15/16 people. Access to a private island almost two kilometres long comes with the property where guests can enjoy private sandy beaches, long walks, shellfish collecting or dolphin watching.

The House
There are seven bedrooms, five en-suite and six bathrooms in total. All bedrooms have double beds with one bedroom having a single over double bunk bed.
One of the rooms upstairs (the submarine room) includes a small cubby area, where children can play, hide or sleep or just escape reality for a while! This area is ideal for parents with a young child as they can stay in the same room. This room also features a porthole window, which faces back onto the field where we keep our horses. All rooms come with plenty of storage and closet space. The en-suites contain showers, with the main downstairs bathroom containing a bath and a shower. There are also full laundry facilities (washer and drier).
There are two dining rooms in the house, one in the kitchen/dining area seats eight, and one in an adjoining room, featuring a handmade bespoke elm table with ship chain legs, seats twelve.
For outdoor entertaining, there is an outside stone patio area with a handmade stone table that can seat 10 and a raised deck with a table for eight people, The stone patio can be accessed from the main dining room through sliding doors.
The patio area also has access to an indoor-outdoor barbeque area, this features a 48 inch gas barbeque in its own enclosed room so it can be used even if the weather is not ideal for outdoor cooking.
The kitchen contains all the appliances needed, with a large fridge, drinks fridge and freezer. There is an electric hob and oven, along with a grill, kettle, microwave, coffee machine, toaster, popcorn maker, dishwasher and more.
There are two living areas in the house, one is a downstairs sunroom with sliding glass doors, perfect for breakfast/brunch on those warm summer mornings or relaxing with a glass of wine while you bathe in the late evening sunshine. This room has 2 comfortable leather couches, seating five.
This faces onto an enclosed deck containing lounge chairs and an outdoor table surrounded by a wall with a hand-painted mural. Beside the deck is a seven-person hot tub where you can soak and massage tired muscles after a day of outdoor activities.
The other sitting room is upstairs where multiple top hinged roof windows facing south take full advantage of the panoramic views out over the sea. This room features a large flat screen smart TV, which includes Netflix, along with a surround sound speaker system.
There is a small wood stove in this room if you feel like cosying up on the leather couches and catching up on your TV series or watching a movie on Netflix.
At the other side of the chimney in this room there is a bespoke bar, which seats nine people. The counter is made from Irish Elm and seating is revolving captain’s chairs with leather cushions, so you can take in the panoramic sea views to the front or watch the foals gallop and play in the field to the rear.
There is a mini-fridge and small glasswasher under the bar and also a vintage-style record player in this room, with records included. This has a Bluetooth feature so that it can be connected to your phone to play your own choice of music when relaxing at the bar.
Outside
The house faces onto the Estuary which is tidal. When the tide is in you can swim or canoe ten meters from the house. When the tide is fully out you can search the area for shellfish (mussels, crab, razor fish, periwinkles, barnacles) or lugworms for fishing. The inlet is separated from the estuary by an island which is 1.1 miles long, it is attached to the mainland by a causeway which is an eight-minute walk away. At low tide it is possible to walk across at the other end so a three mile circle walk is possible.
On the island you can collect edible seaweed and shellfish along with enjoying the sandy beaches and millions of sea stones and shells. Pods of bottlenose dolphins can regularly be seen surfing the water from the island or from the upstairs windows on calm moonlight nights
Fishing for Pollack, wrasse, dogfish, flatfish, bull huss, conger, thornback ray, codling, whiting, salmon, sea trout, mackerel and flounder is possible from the island. Skate, flounder, mackerel and Pollack are the most common species caught from the pier which is 200 metres from the house.
Charter fishing boats or dolphin watching excursions can also be arranged to pick up guests at the pier.
Just across the water is Kerry, with its gorgeous beaches and mountains. A day trip to Kerry is highly recommended, it can be reached by a ferry in half an hour.
The outside area is child friendly with enclosed lawns to the front and rear. There are stunning flower gardens at the front of the house, with numerous types of flowers along with flourishing rosebushes which traverse the walls and climb the arch over a small gate leading to the road. The road is quiet, with very little traffic, making it a very safe area for children.
We also own a large field to the rear of the house. In the summer, it is home to our mares and new foals, which are very friendly and inquisitive.
In the wintertime, when the foals are weaned, the mares are moved out onto the island, mentioned earlier. This island also features a few small beaches. The water here deepens gradually, making it ideal for all ages and experience levels.
At high tide, the water at the pier is four meters deep so is an ideal place for experienced swimmers, and jumping off the pier is a very popular activity here. There are also picnic benches at the pier where adults can relax while they supervise activities. The pier also features a handball alley, with tennis rackets and balls provided at the house. We also provide wetsuits in a range of sizes for the guests, along with beach towels.
Kid’s toys, such as goalposts, board games, beach toys and so on are also available.
Locally
Querrin is situated 15 minutes from two seaside towns, Kilrush and Kilkee.
Kilrush, a historic market town, contains a Tesco, Aldi and Supervalu, to stock up on anything that may be needed, along with farm market days where you can buy local produce. The newly opened West Coast Aqua Park in the marina is a huge hit with all ages, especially younger children.
Also in Kilrush there is a kayaking company, which is a unique way to explore the Irish coastline. Ferries leave from Kilrush, bringing you to the ancient Scattery Island, the historic tower of which can be seen from the house.
There is also an 18 hole golf course in Kilrush and just outside the town is Kilimer Car Ferry where you can get the ferry to Kerry.
Kilkee also has an 18 hole golf course as well as a pitch n’ putt course for the less serious golfers. There are many fabulous places to eat in Kilkee.
An ice cream parlour is open every evening, just up from the gorgeous horseshoe shaped Kilkee beach, perfect for evening walks. A twelve minute drive away you will find the fishing village of Carrigaholt, from where dolphins watch cruises leave daily.
Within walking distance from the house is Carmen’s riding school, which caters for all levels. It features treks on the beach, as well as around the roads of Querrin.
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel is a 20 minute drive away, in Doonbeg.
Spectacular cliff walks are to be found at Kilkee and around the Loop Head Lighthouse, and further west at the bridges of Ross, there are miles of traffic-free roads throughout the peninsula for relaxing strolling and cycling.
Guided wildlife walks and boat trips are all available in the area and the house has a folder of all the activities available locally along with recommended excursions and must visit sites in the area.
Transport
Personal tour guides and mini bus hire or taxi services are also available locally.

Within 1 hour driving
The Burren
Shannon Airport
The Cliffs of Moher
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
The Kerry coast and Dingle peninsula
Limerick City
Within 2 hours
Killarney
Galway city
Dublin Airport 3 ½ hours


Guests will be greeted personally by myself or my husband, and given a welcome basket containing homemade Irish Brown Soda Bread, wine and other essentials and information on the area, and we are always available to deal with any issues you may have.
During the winter months a chef can be available to cook mouth-watering meals for guests for the entire stay if required, in the summer this service can also be available for special occasions,
Please email if you have special requirements and we will answer promptly.