So you want to move to Ireland. Of course you do. It's St. Patrick's Day and those five Guinnesses you drank and that accent of your great-grandfather's that you rediscovered have fired you up like burning peat. But where are you going to live? Don't worry. Curbed is on the case. Whether your tastes run to centuries-old castles, midcentury time capsules or Joycean towers, we can help you make that dream of reverse-migration come true.
From Dublin and County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland, to Belfast in Northern Ireland, here are three distinctive properties to dream about impulse buying after a night out at the pub. Pro trip: Drop the fake accent by the time you sober up.
↑ This imposing 18th-century castle was turned into a 30-room hotel years ago, so there's no need to update the 370-year-old plumbing, build an electrical system, or really do any of the inconvenient things that sometimes come with castle ownership. The Markree Castle in County Sligo has three reception rooms decorated with gold leaf and painted plasterwork, two dining rooms, and a drawing room with "Ionic pillars." The gothic halls come with vaulted ceilings, oak staircases, and stained glass windows.
Photos by Gary Quigg via Templeton Robinson
↑ This perfect 1962 time capsule was designed by the avant garde architect Louis Roche for his own use as a Belfast home for his family. Roche, who died last year, also designed Belfast's monolithic yellow City Hospital, which looks nothing like this stone, wood, and glass house with a slightly elevated top level and an open-plan living area on the ground floor. Inside, the home is all retro floor patterns, epic bathroom tiles, and appealing built-ins. £465K ($687K)
↑ This solid granite defense tower was built in 1804 to protect Dublin from a Napoleonic campaign. A few years before, the French had launched a rather disorganized invasion that was a complete failure. But the Irish wanted to be careful, and so they built the Bartra Tower on Dublin Bay and stationed 12 soldiers inside. In recent years, the historic structure has been converted from a garrison into a distinctive one-bedroom home. The solder's sleeping quarters are now a living area, the gunpower room has been turned into a marble bathroom, and the top of the tower serves a roof garden. €2M ($2.1M)
· Five Irish Castles to Stage Your Own Game of Thrones [Curbed National]