Coastal Goat's Path farmstead and 'safe house'  in God's Country  beauty spot

He has listed the mix — by a cove and inlet and pier at Gerahies, on the Goat’s Path on the northern shoreline of the scenic Sheep’s Head peninsula a few miles south west of Bantry — in recent days and says there’s been a swift response.

Mr Hodnett is giving most of this Saturday to viewings, and, such is the interest, might have to shepherd and herd the curious callers around it.

At core, it’s a traditional three-bed, owned by a couple with Irish roots who came back here about 40 years ago from Bangor in Wales, and gently tipped away at it, maintaining, and keeping a light touch to the rough land.

Likely to be a century or so old, the 930 sq ft, two-storey house got new windows, a stove in one of the two reception rooms and insulation (dry-lining internally) in the past decade, thanks to SEAI grants, and has a D1 BER, a definite improvement on what these older-era stone homes normally get.

But, there’s more, apart from the draw of the location and scenic seaside setting.

There’s a beguiling second derelict dwelling, as well as a third, tinier one, whitewashed and tin-roofed and reckoned to have been a ‘safe house’ during the Troubles, says the Hodnett Forde agent. Mr Hodnett got his first offer, of €320,000, sight unseen, this week, and reckons it will sell for well in excess of his initial €350,000 AMV.

It’s got an internal grassy lane, linking the various ‘dwellings’, in their various states of repair and dress, and a new energetic owner can leave them more or less as they are, or make them useful or habitable with the aid of derelict, vacant property and SEAI grants.

The land has a bit of pasture near the main house and rough pasture beyond, prompting the selling agent to say “it can be left to God”.

Or, given the Goat’s Path setting, to goats to graze. “They wouldn’t be long at it,” he agrees.

“Parts of it are like scenes out of The Quiet Man film,” according to Mr Hodnett, who says the stone structures and outbuilding are all in a good state of repair, ripe for renewal.

Eco-tourism accommodation could be an option, with a holiday pod business already on the lesser trammelled Goat’s Path, so close to Bantry and the N71 West Cork highway?

The private holding here has public road access, has a stream at the southern boundary, and access to the shoreline via a narrow strip of ground and across the road towards the shingle beach at Laughaun.

Near, too, is a sheltered inlet and pier, and a marine research station doing work on seaweed-based animal feeds.

Also, processing bases for various Bantry bay mussel and seafood operators are along the nearby public road, while the shoreline and waters off it are popular with sports divers.

VERDICT: There’s something special about this one, with a fully habitable home, land aplenty, water proximity and the quaintest of quaint, ‘ Quiet Man’ cottages to stir yet further dreams.