{"id":611544,"date":"2026-09-01T20:36:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/611544\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T20:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:36:18","slug":"cheap-irish-homes-host-tadhg-casey-i-grew-up-in-north-kerry-and-had-some-great-characters-as-bosses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/611544\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheap Irish Homes host Tadhg Casey: ‘I grew up in North Kerry and had some great characters as bosses’"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might be 116 years since the ink dried on EM Forster\u2019s words \u201cOnly connect!\u201d but they are as relevant as ever.<\/p>\n

Not least in the Kerry town associated globally with literature. Tadhg Casey is showing me images of Listowel Activity Hub. The architect has designed the building in vernacular style to link the town with its surrounding landscape, greenway network and wider community.<\/p>\n

Connection Central could be another name for the structure, which is part of Kerry County Council\u2019s ambition to strengthen Listowel\u2019s role as a destination for outdoor activity. \u201cRather than creating a standalone object, it establishes a series of interconnected spaces that encourage people to arrive, pause, meet and continue their journey,\u201d says Tadhg.<\/p>\n

The Tralee-based architect also hit the road again in 2026, touring the country as co-presenter of RT\u00c9\u2019s Cheap Irish Homes alongside Maggie Molloy.<\/p>\n

This is his second year on the popular TV show, and like Maggie, Tadhg has a passion for rural Ireland as well as its towns and villages. Listowel
Activity Hub was a joy to work on for that reason, he says. \u201cI grew up in North Kerry and worked on farms around Listowel during my summers and had some great characters as bosses,\u201d says Tadhg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese experiences with old and not-so-old farm buildings, along with pavilion-type architecture, inspired the design of this building.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ListowelListowel Activity Hub, designed by Tadhg Casey Architects, opens this autumn. <\/p>\n

Forging a connection with the landscape and Listowel\u2019s heritage topped the agenda. \u201cThe main aim was to meet the practical requirements of the brief (changing and biking facilities) in a way that participated in, and paid respect to, the rich local culture of storytelling and the unique local vibe \u2014 to create a building very much of its place,\u201d says Tadhg. \u201cTo achieve this, we used simple materials, forms and construction techniques imaginatively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ListowelListowel Activity Hub.<\/p>\n

The pitched roof references local vernacular buildings and shelters a covered overhang as well as the public convenience facilities in a regular form underneath. \u201cThe metal-clad pitched roof has at one end a regular hip, while at the other end it has an irregularly shaped hip, which delineates a public seating area designed for greenway and park users to sit and enjoy the surroundings and use the facilities,\u201d adds Tadhg.\u2009<\/p>\n

The main structure is galvanised steel and serves a double function as rainwater gutters. It sits comfortably into its parkland and riverbank surroundings. \u201cIt aims to be of a quality that visitors and locals alike can be proud of,\u201d adds Tadhg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n I hope the people of Listowel like it, and if they gather under its roof and have a chat or a bit of craic, it will be a success in my eyes.\n <\/p>\n

\"TadhgTadhg Casey and Maggie Molloy on this year’s series of ‘Cheap Irish Homes’. Picture: RT\u00c9<\/p>\n

The design demonstrates how a relatively modest intervention can contribute to a much wider civic ambition, he believes. \u201cBy combining architecture, landscape, active travel and public space, the activity hub strengthens the connection between Listowel and its surrounding recreational infrastructure and provides a welcoming point of arrival and departure for residents and visitors,\u201d says Tadhg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project is conceived not simply as a building, but as a piece of public infrastructure that supports movement, activity and social interaction within the town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Listowel Activity Hub, Listowel Park.<\/p>\n

Tadhg Casey MRIAI walks the walk \u2014 literally. The Ballyheigue native lives in a reimagined 200-year-old house in Tralee town centre. He, his partner Niamh, and their Kerry blue terrier, Hal, can easily stroll to the Tadhg Casey Architects office on The Mall, where Niamh is the practice manager, and the family pooch is on the payroll as the resident \u201cbarchitect\u201d.<\/p>\n

Schools, too, are within walking distance for their children, Daire, six, and Sadhbh, four.<\/p>\n

Tadhg arrived on our screens for the sixth series of Cheap Irish Homes last year, as Maggie Molloy\u2019s co-presenter and is still filming the seventh series, the first episode of which airs on RT\u00c9 One this Tuesday. Both have an easy rapport with each other and the house hunters they help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe house in Co Offaly shown on ‘Cheap Irish Homes’, 2026, episode one, before, below, and after, above. <\/p>\n

From forlorn and forgotten cottages to almost-hidden town-centre treasures, the series aims to relay inspiring stories, practical advice and imaginative design ideas that celebrate the possibilities of breathing new life into old homes. \u201cAll the houses are so different,\u201d says Tadhg. \u201cAnd the buyers are all very different \u2014 everyone has their story. I get to connect with a bit of playfulness, and it reminds me of the nice things people are looking for in a home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, but is there still such a thing as a \u201ccheap\u201d property? \u201cThe highlight of last year\u2019s series was the fact that there\u2019s still value there, especially in our villages, and that was definitely the feeling I had this year again,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Because both presenters live in old properties they revamped themselves, viewers and house hunters alike can instantly relate to them \u2014 making their expert advice feel all the more authentic.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe house in Co Offaly shown on ‘Cheap Irish Homes’, 2026, episode one, during renovation in 2024. Pictures: RT\u00c9<\/p>\n

Tadhg and Niamh, who met in Dublin, say their residence \u201cdefinitely fell into the \u2018cheap Irish home\u2019 category. \u201cIt cost \u20ac135,000, and we renovated it between 2021 and 2024,\u201d says Tadhg.<\/p>\n

The family moved in two years ago. \u201cWe had been renting in Tralee until then. It [renovating] was a lot of work. But it was such a great thing to be able to do,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kind of character you have in the house \u2014 I can\u2019t say you can\u2019t buy it, because we did buy it! \u2014 but I think we just got a lovely feeling when we walked into the property; there was south sun coming in, it was lovely and warm, and there was a wonderful long narrow garden. Everyone talks about vibes these days, but it had good vibes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For them, the property\u2019s striking, original features, such as shutters on its old timber windows, were its selling point. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to do too much, design-wise; we had to rewire and replumb it. The contractors were great,\u201d says Tadhg. \u201cI just tried to use breathable materials, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tadhg'sTadhg’s favourite spot at his home in Tralee. <\/p>\n

The living area overlooking the street is Tadhg\u2019s favourite spot in the house. \u201cWe keep the lads\u2019 toys out of just that one part, so it\u2019s the only place you\u2019re not tripping over Lego!\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the rest of the house is full of toys and full of life. It\u2019s nice to have a house full of life, and it makes me feel very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

The architect\u2019s own childhood unfolded on a dairy farm in Ballyheigue in North Kerry, and Tadhg credits his upbringing with informing a life view defined by a practical approach and an appreciation for nature and Irish culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tadhg, who first considered architecture as a future career while he was a student at Causeway Comprehensive, says: \u201cI spent many summers farming, working on building sites and also as a steel fabricator.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a graduate, he worked in Cork City Council Architects Department on a range of residential and urban design projects before moving to Dublin to work for residential and master planning specialists Conroy Crowe Kelly (CCK).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sustainable and imaginative architecture is a speciality since establishing Tadhg Casey Architects Ltd in 2018.<\/p>\n

\"MarieMarie and Anne Kinane with Maggie Molloy and Tadhg Casey. <\/p>\n

Safeguarding smaller towns and villages\u2019 future is Tadhg\u2019s lodestar: \u201cThe lessons of the vernacular buildings and towns can align with a new experience-led regeneration of Irish urban areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Traditional shapes inspire everything from box-fresh residential designs to refurbs of old buildings, and school extensions.<\/p>\n

Becoming a TV presenter \u201cwasn\u2019t on my radar at all\u201d, says Tadhg, who was spotted on YouTube by a series researcher. \u201cWhen we started [his architecture practice] we were in a co-working space in Tralee, Entara, and our landlord, Ken Tobin, made a video. Kevin Cremin, one of the series researchers, discovered the video on YouTube and called me,\u201d says Tadhg.<\/p>\n

\"MarieMarie Kinane, who features on the first episode of ‘Cheap Irish Homes’. Picture: RT\u00c9<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lovely call to get \u2014 that was around Christmas \u2014 and as requested, I sent another video of myself, made on my phone, and did a screen test in February or March, and I was filming by April.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accustomed by now to stepping in front of a television camera, Tadhg adds: \u201cI often think we could have an outtake section, but there\u2019s never enough time. We have so many good laughs when we are filming, and a lot of it gets cut because we have to tell the story in only a half-hour programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MarieMarie Kinane, right, with her mother Anne. <\/p>\n

The 2026 Cheap Irish Homes opener features Marie Kinane, 27, who grew up on a farm in Tipperary and moved to Sligo three years ago, where she works in pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s decided that now is the time to move out of her rented accommodation and buy her own home in the area.<\/p>\n

With a budget of \u20ac190,000, Marie is looking for a house with at least two bedrooms that\u2019s close to water and under 40 minutes from her job in Sligo town \u2014 and that has plenty of space for her dog Finlay.<\/p>\n

\"MarieMarie Kinane’s border collie Finlay.<\/p>\n

Tadhg and Maggie take Marie and her mum Anne on tour to show her three properties Maggie has found that could work for her. \u201cI love meeting the buyers because they\u2019re all can-do people and they\u2019re open people and they just kind of see life as an adventure, which is the way I like to think about life \u2014 they\u2019re just rolling with it, and I like meeting people like that,\u201d says Tadhg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the opposite of complainers. They get on with life, they\u2019re genuine, and it feels good to be around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As always, the people we don\u2019t see also boost the feel-good factor and connect to the soul of the series. \u201cYou go into a house and realise it was a family house, and that people lived there for decades and the property\u2019s features show a history of family and kindness and care,\u201d says Tadhg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It might be 116 years since the ink dried on EM Forster\u2019s words \u201cOnly connect!\u201d but they are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[32816,32817,307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-611544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-home-improvements","tag-home-interiors","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611544","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=611544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}