In the market for a 464-year-old fixer-upper?

Castle Donovan, the imposing (and slightly crumbling) ancestral home of the O’Donovan clan in West Cork has just hit the market, offering a unique opportunity to snap up a piece of Irish history.

For a cool €200,000, you could be the next Lord (or Lady) of the manor – assuming you’re handy with a masonry trowel and don’t mind the occasional visit from a long-lost relative tracing their family tree.

“Castle Donovan was built in the year 1560 by Donal O’Donvovan, it was the principal seat of the O’Donovan Clan.” explains estate agent David Busteed of Sherry Fitzgerald Busteed, who is handling the sale.

“It was built on very solid rock foundation and faces south of the valley. The Castle is situated three miles north of Drimoleague, West Cork and stands amid the rugged grandeur of the local mountain range.”

Built to last on a three-acre site, the castle is 60 feet high, 26 feet wide and 42 feet broad with six-foot thick walls and a gothic entrance arch of limestone on the west gable.

“According to tradition the tower of the Castle was damaged by gunpowder by Oliver Cromwell soldiers in the late 1650’s, which caused cracks in the masonry, leaving the structure unsafe,” adds Busteed.

“In 1936 the southwest corner of the Castle collapsed leaving the staircase intact. Castle Donovan underwent extensive conservation by the Office of Public Works between 2001 and 2014 and the Castle is now a listed National Monument.

“A wonderful opportunity for anyone seeking to acquire an Irish country castle with such a rich and interesting history.”

Interested in finding out more? Contact Sherry Fitzgerald for details.