Mikael Fernstrom

The search started in 2018 and thanks to a number of circumstances we found the place we were looking for in February 2019. On a frosty morning, I arrived in Derreennaclogh, just north of the village Ballydehob in West Cork. There was an old farm house with a few outhouses and a semi-derelict barn.

After a closer inspection, most of the buildings were more or less derelict but there appeared to be enough old solid parts to enable a slow DIY restoration. Most of the original stone walls – 90 cm thick – had been covered with cement probably 40 years ago, while the original walls had been pointed with mud and lime mortar. There were ample problems with damp. Days, weeks and months of work chipping away cement and repointing with lime mortar followed.

All infrastructure had to be re-done – plumbing, electrical, etc. By late summer 2020, we moved in on the first floor of the house. The restoration work continues.