Ring In The Red

Beautifully decorated for Christmas, this once derelict cowshed is now a modern rustic retreat for all to enjoy.

After a lengthy search for a home in County Wicklow, Penny Crawford-Collins and her partner had nearly given up on their dream when they stumbled upon an old farmhouse with outbuildings near Shillelagh. ‘We had quite a tight budget and were only thinking of buying a small cottage for our visits to Ireland. But when we saw the farmhouse and outbuildings advertised in a local paper, we couldn’t resist taking a look,’ Penny recalls. Despite getting lost on the way and arriving over an hour late, the estate agent waited for them, which Penny took as a sign that the house was meant to be theirs. The farmhouse, along with its outbuildings, was in desperate need of renovation. Even though they had never tackled such a project before, the couple were excited by the challenge of breathing new life into the property. ‘I immediately fell in love with the entire place, but the barn, in particular, captured my imagination. I knew it could be magical,’ Penny shares.

Read more in the December issue…