Lakeside — Lake Currane, Waterville, Co. Kerry

There's a particular kind of quiet that only exists in a handful of places left in Ireland — and Lakeside sits in the middle of it. This is a home on the shore of Lough Currane, in a small cluster of houses in Ballybrack where no new building is permitted, so the view you see in these photographs is the view you'll keep. Every room here was built with the water in mind: wide windows angled toward the lake, a bay seat made for watching the light change over the hills, a private jetty and your own boat waiting at the water's edge. This isn't a house that overlooks the lake. It's a house that belongs to it. It also happens to keep excellent company — The Hogs Head Golf Club sits just up the road, one of the most photographed courses on the Ring of Kerry, and Ballybrack has been quietly known as one of Waterville's better addresses for exactly that reason.

First Impressions

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The approach to Lakeside — a private drive off a quiet lane, a house settled comfortably into the hillside, and your first sense of just how close the water really is.

Front elevation of Lakeside with garage — Your first glimpse of Lakeside, tucked into the hillside with a private drive and garage — solid, settled, and entirely its own.

House seen from the garden with red flowers in foreground — Seen from the garden path, with a blaze of red-hot pokers leading the eye straight to the front door.

Two-storey lake-facing elevation — The lake-facing elevation — look closely and you'll notice every window here was placed for the view, not the street.

House glimpsed alongside the water with a small boat — Steps from your own mooring — the house and the water, together in a single frame.

House exterior in soft evening light — As the light softens toward evening, the house settles into the hillside like it's always been there.

Front elevation of the house without vehicles — The front elevation on a quiet afternoon — clean lines, a generous drive, and room to bring your own car to it.

Classic car parked in the driveway — Ballybrack keeps good company — a driveway that's just as at home with a classic as it is with the school run.

The Heart of the Home

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This is where Lakeside makes its case. Every living space opens toward the water in one way or another — and once you've sat in that bay window with a cup of tea, it's very hard to imagine mornings anywhere else.

Panoramic view of Lough Currane and the hills — The view that sells the house — Lough Currane and the hills, laid out like a living painting from your own garden's edge.

The same view, framed through the living room window — The same view again, this time framed through the living room window — a scene that never once gets old, whatever the weather's doing.

Bay window seat with red armchairs — The bay window seat — proof that in this house, the best seat is always the one facing the water.

Second bay window seat with round ottomans — A second window seat, its own quiet corner of the house, with the sea laid out beyond the glass.

Stone fireplace in the living room — A real stone fireplace, built for long evenings — this is where the house gets properly cosy once the sun goes down.

Bright landing with staircase and French doors — Bright and open — the landing between rooms, with the staircase and a wall of glass leading out to the garden.

Open living and dining room — Living and dining in one easy flow — room enough to gather, room enough to breathe.

Doorway view into the dining room — A glimpse through to the dining room — the kind of sightline that makes a house feel bigger than its footprint.

Dining table set beneath a bright window — Sunday-roast territory — a dining table set beneath a bright window, ready for however many chairs you can pull up.

Dining room with view of the driveway — Another angle on the dining room, with the drive and garden just beyond the glass.

Dining nook glimpsed through a curtained doorway — A quieter corner, glimpsed through the curtain from the hall — the kind of nook every house needs one of.

Kitchen window overlooking the fields — The kitchen window frames a green field and a line of trees — washing up was never a chore with this to look at.

Breakfast room — The breakfast room, bright and ready for the first meal of the day.

Private Quarters

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Upstairs, the water follows you into the bedrooms too — and after a day outdoors, there's a lot to be said for a proper staircase and a bathroom that's simply, quietly clean.

Bedroom with panoramic window view — Wake up to this — a bedroom where the alarm clock has some real competition every single morning.

Bedroom with wood paneling and window view — A quieter bedroom, wood tones warm against the ever-present water outside.

Bright twin bedroom — A light, easy twin room — ready and waiting for guests.

Second twin bedroom — A second twin room, simply and comfortably dressed.

Third bedroom with twin beds — A third bedroom, tucked at the quiet end of the house — plenty of room for family and guests alike.

Wooden staircase with striped runner — The staircase connecting both floors, dressed in a warm striped runner underfoot.

Clean bathroom with tub — A crisp, clean bathroom — simple, well-kept, and ready to use.

Second bathroom — The second bathroom, every bit as tidy as the first.

The Water, The Grounds, The Setting

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This is really what you're buying. A private jetty. Your own boat. A shoreline that's yours alone to walk, and a view of the hills that changes its mood every single day.

Red rowboat on still water — Your own boat, waiting at the water's edge — because a lake house isn't really finished without one.

Wooden jetty extending into the lake — A private jetty reaching out into Lough Currane — swim from it, fish from it, or just sit and let the evening go by.

Wildflowers along the shoreline path — Wildflowers line the path down to the water — a garden that leans into its wild, lakeside setting rather than fighting it.

Dune path down to the water with a small boat — Another way down to the shore, past gorse and long grass, with the boat waiting below.

Still lake reflecting the hills — Lough Currane on a still morning, when the water turns to glass and doubles the hills for good measure.

Misty hill across the water — The hills across the water, wrapped in mist — a different mood, almost every day of the year.

Wide view of the shoreline — A wider look at the shoreline you'd get to call your own.

House seen from across the water via a stone causeway — The house, seen from across the water — connected by a stone causeway that the tide reveals and reclaims by turns.

View of the back garden and grounds — The garden side of the house, unhurried and private, with the fields rolling on beyond the hedge.