Normal People rub shoulders with stars near this €695k Ballydehob home

WHAT with Saoirse Ronan shopping local over Christmas and Paul Mescal enjoying a quart among normal people at Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob is fast lining itself up for a Ballydehob-nob rebrand.

Both Irish actors now own properties in the area, and both were spotted in the West Cork village over the festive season.

While the Gladiator star was espied out socialising, Saoirse — fresh from two recently released movies, Blitz and The Outrun — was spotted on successive days stocking up on Christmas goodies at the former Hudson’s Wholefoods on Main St.

Trading as Béal Blasta since it changed hands last year, the almost 40-year-old business is a thriving wholefood shop/bakery/café, run by Dubliners Geoff Caird and Cathy Melvin from 2015, until they sold it on last year to local couple Naomi and Denis O’Brien.

Having divested themselves of their successful food business, serial entrepreneurs Geoff and Cathy have decided the time is right to also put the family home on the market.

Given the international waves the village is currently making on account of all the celebrity sightings, January 2025 is as good a time as any to sell up. Factor in the upcoming Trump/Musk presidency, and where better to ride out the next four years than a corner of Ireland long favoured by international buyers, as well as Hollywood A-listers, who can look forward to not being singled out for special treatment.

Just ask Saoirse, whose application to knock and rebuild her Ballydehob property was recently rejected by county planners.

Facing no such obstacles when building their Ballydehob home around 19 years ago were Geoff and Cathy, natives of Glasnevin with a grá for West Cork, having holidayed from time to time on Heir Island. They bought the site their home is built on in 2006, after selling their Dublin-based Chocca Mocca chocolate business to a major UK operator.

Having lived in a “two-up, two-down” home in Kilmainham, they now had the funds to purchase a 2.75ac site on which to build their own very generous single-storey home.

Local architect Mark O’Mahony was hired to come up with a design that could readily accommodate a growing family.

“We had four kids and we wanted a home where everyone had enough space to be together, and also to get away from one another and have some privacy,” says Geoff.

A great big open plan, liberally-glazed space was created for communal living, the more “social” side of the house, where the family could dine, socialise, cook, and relax in interconnected dining/kitchen/lounging sections.

 A fantastically bright area with a notable architectural feature in the shape of a curved dining room wall, it opens onto a wooden sundeck (one of two, the other is off the main bedroom).

There are stone patios also to sit out on, one off the glazed lobby linking the daytime accommodation to the separate sleeping quarters and a second to the side of the house, off the kitchen area, overlooking the vegetable garden.

The vegetable garden is laid out in cleverly-arranged raised circular beds, with space to circulate between them.

“I think Cathy came up with that design, and it functions very well. She uses it to grow leeks and lettuce, spinach, kale and onions,” Geoff says. A landscaper came in the early days to help with layout, but Geoff himself has done a good deal of planting since.

“I put in 300-400 trees, mainly deciduous, and the wildlife has really come back. It’s been great to see,” says Geoff.

They made other changes too, such as building the Wood House,a tucked-away, split-level lodge on concrete stilts overlaid by a timber frame. Installed about 15 years ago, it’s served the couple well as both a treatment room for craniosacral therapist Geoff and a studio for Cathy, who has a passion and talent for painting.

 It’s a useful option for new owners — perhaps ancillary accommodation?— if any was needed at this 230sq m property.

More recent changes included upgrading the kitchen: contemporary hard wood units were fitted 10 years ago on a striking mosaic tiled floor.

 External decking was also replaced and new parquet floors were laid in three of the bedrooms. The main bedroom is particularly spacious and comes with separate reading area, ensuite, and sheltered private deck.

The change that has benefitted the house the most is the insulation.

While the couple installed under-floor heating from the get-go, they realised a few years in that a lot of the heat was being lost due to high ceilings and expansive glazing.

Experts were brought in to identify areas of heat loss and to follow up with remedial action.

“We did that three or four years after building the house, and it was one of the really great decisions that we made,” Geoff says. These days, the house — which has solar panels — has a comfortable B2 energy efficiency rating. It’s a wrench for the couple to sell up, but with most of the children reared and gone, it is time to downsize. They’ll miss the entertainment space.

“It really holds its own at Christmas. We had 10 or 12 people over this yearand it was great to be all together and also to have our own space,” Geoff says. A separate living room across the hallway was a great space for the kids to hang out with their friends. It could be an ideal playroom for new owners. 

There’s also a study, utility room, and separate pantry.

Selling this attractive home is Ron Krueger, of Engle and Voelkers.

“The house was built to very high standards and there’s a wonderful flow to it,” he says.

Every room has a “green” view and the setting is a handsome combination of landscaping and rugged beauty.

“It’s a stunning location, a 10-minute drive to Ballydehob village — famous for its fairs and festivals, its artisan shops, quality pubs and restaurants.

“Moreover, it’s in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a dramatic coastline, unspoilt beaches, and well-catered for leisure activities such as sailing, fishing, and golfing,” Mr Krueger says.

Guiding at €695,000, he predicts interest from European and US markets, from buyers looking for holiday homes, and permanent residences.

Cork Airport is about an hour away by car.

VERDICT: Delightful home with log cabin in boujie Ballydehob. You never know who you might bump into on Main St!