House at Clash, Ballineen

The house at Clash is situated inland from the historic port of Kinsale, and the resort town of Clonakilty, in the south west of Ireland. Set in an entirely rural and unspoilt mainly agricultural landscape of fields and woods, and in the cultural landscape of an ancient round tower believed to date from the 7th century and one of only five in the island of Ireland. The History of the site is unknown except that it appears to have been previously the location for a small quarry. Stone quarried from the middle portion of the long funnel shaped site has left behind an almost level plateau which formed an ideal site for the new house. A careful site analysis of sun direction at different times of the year along the length of the site identified the shadow path through the different seasons. This confirmed the site of the level central plateau as ideal for a new house.

The house is approached via a track along the site boundary which arrives at a sheltered forecourt defined by the house and the craggy stone edge of the quarry perimeter to the other. A deep undercroft extends the direction of arrival protects the visitor as they enter into a tall light filled space substantially glazed giving views through to a more sheltered garden area. With an inversion of the normal arrangements a large living space occupies the upper level and gives extended views towards the south east , alongside a large promontory terrace which sits above the bedroom wing on the lower floor , at garden level. The tightly defined and protected garden area provides a sunny sheltered courtyard – a landscape within a landscape, that of the surrounding wide open landscape.

The house has received planning consent from Cork County Council.