Dating back to about 1850, this cut-stone cottage was originally part of the Casement estate, now the Bel Air Hotel in Ashford.
It was purchased by its current owners from author, journalist, linguist and administrator Joan (Shevawn) Lynam, who had bought and refurbished the picturesque property in the 1960s.
During her varied career, Lynam worked for RTÉ, the BBC and wrote for The Irish Times, the Observer and other publications. She also spent a time as acclaimed film director Alfred Hitchcock’s personal assistant.
A Hispanophile who had a particular interest in the customs and people of the Basque region, Lynam was banned from Spain for several years by General Franco’s government on account of her republican views.
Having lived in London and Paris as well as Spain, Lynam returned to Ireland in the 1960s and bought the stone cottage in Ashford, where she could focus on writing. She went on to write two books: a novel, The Spirit and the Clay, about the Basque resistance during and after the Civil War; and a biography of Irish MP and animal rights campaigner Richard “Humanity Dick” Martin.
The current owners of the now-named Lynam Cottage were attracted to the gorgeous countryside views surrounding it. In 2017, they gutted the cottage “right back to the stone walls,” resulting in a delightful, bright two-bedroom house, extending to 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft). Occupying a quarter-acre site, its orientation means the majority of the rooms are bathed in light – as is a sun terrace to the rear.
The two bedrooms, both of which are en suite, lie in the old part of the structure, while an extension – added in the 1960s – now houses the kitchen and main livingroom.
Bright and spacious, the kitchen has excellent storage, a free-standing marble-topped island and a stable door which opens out to the garden, as do French doors in the livingroom.
Besides the old stone boundary walls and indeed its cut-stone exterior, flagstones reclaimed by Lynam from the old Wicklow County Jail still lie in situ under the reclaimed wood floor in the lounge, so could be revealed for posterity should new owners wish.
A roof terrace accessed from the gardens offers even better views to the sea and surrounding countryside.
The location of Lynam Cottage is a hillwalkers’ paradise with Djouce Wood and the Great Sugarloaf close by, along with a number of looped walks, and the area is served by three golf courses.
New owners will be able to walk to Ashford village, while Wicklow town is about 6km away and a 10-minute drive will have you in the sea for morning swims at Brittas Bay.
The charming spot surrounded by mature shrubs and trees, which has a D1 Ber, is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald Catherine O’Reilly, seeking €695,000.
