{"id":297230,"date":"2026-02-14T05:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T05:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/297230\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T05:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T05:38:31","slug":"visitors-usually-get-a-shock-when-we-tell-them-when-it-was-built-unique-old-world-leitrim-house-sits-on-wooded-hectare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/297230\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Visitors usually get a shock when we tell them when it was built\u2019 \u2013 Unique \u2018old world\u2019 Leitrim house sits on wooded hectare"},"content":{"rendered":"

This eye-catching house in Leitrim with a three-storey turreted tower takes advantage of stunning views\n<\/p>\n

Asking price: \u20ac495,000<\/p>\n

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Farrell (071) 962 0976<\/p>\n

\u200bOn first glance, a house in Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim, looks like a renovated period home. Its three-storey turreted tower, sandstone-clad fa\u00e7ade, and slate roof create an old world aesthetic, which suggests a long and interesting history.<\/p>\n

In fact, the detached five-bedroom property, which overlooks the Shannon-Erne Waterway, was built in 1997. \u201cWe were trying to create the impression that the house has been here for a long time,\u201d says the owner, Martin Collum, a manager with the HSE who comes from Carrick-on-Shannon.<\/p>\n

He built the 2,540 sq ft house with his wife Monica Collum, a nurse from Arigna, Co Leitrim. \u201cVisitors usually get a shock when we tell them when it was built.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple built it after living for five years in the US. When they left 1991, Ireland was still reeling from the recession of the 1980s, and unemployment was high. \u201cThe American hospitals used to come here in the 1990s to recruit Irish nurses,\u201d explains Martin. \u201cIf you were offered a job you\u2019d get a green card.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The exterior of the house at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

When Monica was offered a nursing role in the US, they sped up their marriage plans and moved to New Jersey where Martin continued his studies, doing psychology, and later worked in counselling and vocational for people with disabilities. \u201cWe loved America and were aware it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a place where, if you\u2019re willing to work, and you\u2019ve got the right attitude, then almost anything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a few years, however, they started to miss home. \u201cWhen you move to another country, your own home becomes foremost in your mind,\u201d he says \u201cYou begin to understand and appreciate its people, its culture and its heritage from afar.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The sitting room with mezzanine at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of that, came the genesis of the house in Keshcarrigan,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe decided to come back and build a house which was unique, and which would reflect our Irish heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

On their return, they considered living in Dublin, Navan and Drogheda. \u201cThen one night, Monica was in a restaurant in Keshcarrigan and heard about this site. We came to view it and were bowled over by the beautiful views.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The sitting room and window at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

When it came to designing the house, they were influenced by a now-deceased friend, Father Michael Rigney, a parish priest in Drumcong, who was renovating St Brigid\u2019s, a 17th century church. He\u2019d hired the well-known architect, Richard Pierce, and introduced him to the couple, who also hired him.<\/p>\n

They had their own ideas about they wanted, however \u2013 and in particular, a tower that not only looked old-fashioned, but would take advantage of the breath-taking views. \u201cIt took months to land the right design and to find a builder and a year to build the house,\u201d says Martin.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The kitchen of the house at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim. Photo: Ray Ryan<\/p>\n

It\u2019s built in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement, which flourished between 1880 and 1920, and encouraged traditional craftsmanship and medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration.<\/p>\n

The movement advocates working closely with nature and using reclaimed materials. The slates in the roof of the house are therefore Bangor Blue slates; the bricks are reclaimed Yorkshire red brick and the floors are made of pitch pine. \u201cYou\u2019d expect such materials to be cheaper, but in fact they were all more expensive than new ones, possibly because of their quality,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The dining room of the house at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

The couple sought out antique furniture to further add to the traditional feel.<\/p>\n

In the dining room, located in the ground floor of the tower, there\u2019s an elegant oval dining room table and chairs from 1850. The walls here have an unfinished quality and are painted red, and there\u2019s a white marble fireplace.<\/p>\n

The kitchen, decorated in pink and cream, has bespoke handmade wooden units and a dresser on one wall.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A bedroom at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim. Photo: Ray Ryan<\/p>\n

The light-filled sitting room has a vaulted ceiling with a mezzanine overlooking it, and an impressive chimney piece, made of reclaimed bricks. On the second floor of the tower is the master bedroom, which has a blue and cream coloured scheme.<\/p>\n

At the top is another reception room, which the couple call the \u2018Ceil\u00ed room\u2019. Here, the windows face west and there\u2019s an outside balcony that wraps around it. \u201cRather than building a conservatory on the ground floor, we opted to build this room, which is half glass, and flooded with light,\u201d says Martin.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The master bedroom of the house at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

\u201cThe views are spectacular. In front of you is the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Sliabh an Iarainn and Arigna mountains can be seen in the distance. In fact, on a good day, you can see Sligo, Cavan, Leitrim and Roscommon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The house has a 100-watt sound system and built-in speakers in most of the rooms. \u201cWe\u2019ve held some great parties and dinner parties here, and we\u2019ve often had barbeques on the lawn outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a two-storey annexe at the back, with two bedrooms and its own entrance, which would be ideal to rent. There\u2019s also a garage, built in the same style of the house.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An aerial view of the house and grounds at Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim<\/p>\n

The property sits on a hectare of land, some of which has been landscaped, and the rest left purposefully wild. It\u2019s accessed via a tree-lined avenue with an iron gate at the entrance. \u201cWe planted over 500 trees when we first moved in, as we wanted to be sympathetic to the landscape and to provide privacy,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Located on the outskirts of the village of Keshcarrigan, and opposite the Keshcarrigan marina, which has public boat moorings and a slipway, the house is a 10-minute drive to Ballinamore; and the same distance to Drumshanbo and to Carrick-on-Shannon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful peaceful setting with lovely walks and an abundance of wildlife,\u201d says Martin. \u201cIt\u2019s also a welcoming, friendly locality, with a strong sense of community spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite all the work they\u2019ve put into it, they\u2019re now selling it. \u201cWe love this house and have enjoyed living here for 28 years,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut it\u2019s a big house for just two people, and we\u2019ve decided it\u2019s time for a change. It would make a lovely home for the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sherry FitzGerald Farrell seeks \u20ac495,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This eye-catching house in Leitrim with a three-storey turreted tower takes advantage of stunning views Asking price: \u20ac495,000…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60,898],"class_list":["post-297230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latest-news-ticker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}