1970s Dan O’Neill Flanagan modern house in Oughterard, near Galway, Ireland
Popular in pre-renovated form, this 1970s Dan O’Neill Flanagan modern house in Oughterard, near Galway, Ireland, is back up for sale.
But you will have to be a long-time reader to recall it. Back in 2015, I spotted this one for sale, an almost alien-like stricture on the edge of the water.
There wasn’t a great deal of information about it then, and that wasn’t really changed. we have the architect’s name, a date of circa 1970 and the claim that it was apparently built for a wealthy Dublin family, presumably as a weekend or holiday retreat. The latter has now been updated slightly by the agent, which says an east coast-based business family commissioned it. Perhaps much the same thing.
What I do know is that a WowHaus reader picked it up and did the work required to bring it back to modern-day standards, but eight years on and after a dream of a time living in this amazing house and location, they are moving on once more, which is good news for someone.
Inevitably, the price has risen over the eight years, but so has the saleability of this one. It’s no longer a project. This is a house for full-time living or the perfect holiday home if travel to this part of Ireland works for you on a regular basis.
Brutalism perhaps needs to work for you, too, as this is very much at the brutal end of modernism from the outside. Glass, steel and reinforced concrete me together to produce something striking now and something that was likely off the scale for the area over 50 years ago.
The house towers over the two acres of land it sits on, with mooring onto Lough Corrib to the front. As I said earlier, quite a setting and quite the contrast between that setting and the architecture.
Inside, from what I can see, the interior has been updated, but without taking away the mid-20th century vibe. In truth, the sellers seem to have put it back in, as the last listing showed a rather tired finish within.
Not so now, with a fairly neutral and modern finish, punctuated with some retro and midcentury modern design, as well as a few splashes of colour. Modern, with a significant nod to the past.
There are around 138 sq. metres of living space within, and although there’s a lack of interior shots, a rather helpful architectural model of the space shows the general layout of this one.
But as a guide, the house is entered on the ground floor, which hosts an entrance hall, a guest WC, a utility room and a stairwell to the first floor and the main living space of this one.
The upstairs layout is all about the glazing, with full-height walls of glass looking out over the land and the water beyond, with a terrace area a dream in better weather. All rooms have doors opening onto that balcony, which wraps around the house.
As for rooms on this floor, there is an open plan living and dining area, the kitchen, three large double bedrooms, a main en-suite and a family bathroom. As I said, this has been updated since the last listing some years back, not least with the solid Oak timber floors and double-glazed windows.
The house is the main selling point for me, but the land is another key feature here. Over two acres of established gardens, which are described as ‘an oasis of tranquillity, calm and privacy’.
Oh yes, the mooring too, which is perfect if you like to mess about in boats. Not many houses come with one.
Fancy it? This modern house in Oughterard has just gone up for sale with an asking price of €475,000. That’s around £406,000 at the current exchange rate.
Images and details courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
