The Gatehouse

        When you travel, it pays to poke about in the quite corners, and be open to the locals. Be ready to make friends. It’s the only way to really experience a place, and other’s lives.

        Early in the (northern) Spring of 2015, we were living in Kerry in Ireland for a while, and on our explore agenda was the townland of Coolkelure, just north of Dunmanway in West Cork.

        We’d recently tracked down the 14-15^th century origins of Jess’s Hurley ancestors, who occupied a couple of raths (old ring-fort homesteads) on a hilltop nearby, and were wandering about getting the feel of the local countryside, of small rural holdings, narrow lanes, green fields, all very West Cork.

        Stooging along at about walking speed, we came across what was unmistakably a gatehouse, one of those classics that stand at the entrance to most landed estates – sadly in Ireland, always originally in the hands of the English 17^th century usurper landlords, as this one was once.

        It’s just too good to drive past. There’s a For Sale sign outside, two big gate pillars but no gate, an empty drive, and no sign of life. It’s impossible to resist.

        We pull up and stand at the gate, taking in it’s style, but then notice there’s a car around the back, and now there’s also a young mum with a three year old in tow. And a dog. That’s now sniffing my leg. Maybe looking for the tastiest spot.

        Awkward moment, so we smile and stumble through an apology, but she says hullo and comes over, and we get into a chat. She’s 25-28, definitely not Irish, and only too keen to tell us all about the place. And yes, it’s a gatehouse, to the old Shuldham estate – we can’t see the “big house” from here, but she assures us the people now in it wouldn’t let us have a look at there’s anyway, as they’re “not very neighbourly”. Not that we want to see it. But we just love the gatehouse.

        “Would you like to have a look through?” Hell yes, sure would! (Just love the natural friendliness of country folk!). So we put the car in her drive to get it off the crossroads out front, and its intros all round.

        She’s Sophie and her lad is Eli, who’s maybe a touch HDD, but a good kid, although keen to get hold of the video camera, so I compliment him on his scary headwear and all is sweet. He becomes my extra shadow.

        As we stand admiring the place, she tells us that she’s English, that her parents are from Yorkshire and Brighton, but her bloke (I think she says his name is Bryn) is a South African from Wales, and they met in Skibbereen! Never fails to surprise you how much the young of today are citizens of the world.

        Then as she walks us through, Sophie tells how and she and her bloke actually want to buy it and do it up, and are flat out trying to raise the money before someone else grabs it, but are renting it in the meantime from the owners – speculators who aren’t local, but got into too many properties, went bust in the post-Celtic Tiger slump, and are now desperate to sell. So they keep sending prospective buyers around.

        We’re barely into the front reception and I just have to comment that the place will surely be a “challenge” for them (geez it needs everything!), and that’s when Sophie admits a little sheepishly that her and her fella are “...keeping it in its state of glorious bad repair!” (Good move guys!)

        Sophie gives us a full tour of her home, touches on its history as best she understands it – it’s two storey, all stone, but built in the 1870s, which is a surprise, as it looks older, has mock archer’s slots and a few turret-y things, a classic bit of over-the-top Gothic Victoriana. But beautiful.

        She leads us through, pointing out the numerous sculpted “heads” and initials up in the plaster work, being various Shuldhams of note, who used the place as a hunting lodge, big-noting themselves to their guests. But hell, the place is in bad shape, rising damp, bad electrics, ancient plumbing, stone-work that’s as cold as charity. We admire their pluck.

        We thank Sophie profusely for the tour, and she seems reluctant to see us go, and can only think that maybe she’s a bit lonely with her fella away so much, trying to put enough together to ward off the other buyers in time.

        We do so love poking about in the Irish countryside, and even today we wish somehow we could know how it all panned out for Sophie and Eli and Bryn, and can only hope...

>>>>>>>>>>>

        If you'd like to go for a drive around Coolkelure, click the tag to Google Map...

THE GATE HOUSE

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>