Georgian rectory in a village by the sea

CO SLIGO: €1.275m ROBERT AND Lorely Forrester never meant to live in Ireland but as soon as they saw the Old Rectory in Easkey, Co Sligo, that was it. They moved from the UK with two young children and took up residence in the Georgian house on the edge of the seaside village.

Fifteen years have passed in a flash, and now the children have grown up and moved back to England so it's time to leave Easkey behind. The Forresters are hoping to sell the 1.7-acre property for €1.275 million and move to France on the proceeds. The Old Rectory is being sold through joint agents Knight Frank and Sligo Auctioneers Murphy & Son.

Dating from 1790, the house was owned by the Church of Ireland and was worked as a farm for many years, before being sold in 1987.

Approached through impressive gates, the house sits in the middle of the grounds which include a fruit and vegetable garden, an orchard, a hen run, and a handsome courtyard of converted coach-house buildings. The Forresters use the back entrance to the house, via a pretty walled courtyard, where the family eat out in summer.

Inside, there's the pantry, then the breakfast room and kitchen where the couple cooked for guests when they ran the Old Rectory as a guest house. A charming sittingroom is where the family relaxes, while the large light drawingroom has a more formal feel.

Upstairs there are four large bedrooms, and there is further accommodation in the courtyard buildings, with offices, a workshop, a two-bedroom apartment, and potential for further bedrooms. New owners will be able to move straight in, without much work to do. The Old Rectory has kept many of its original Georgian features including ornate plasterwork, panelled doors and working shutters.

The Old Rectory, Easkey, Co Sligo

Four-bedroom Georgian house with outbuildings set on 1.7 acres

Agent: Knight Frank and Murphy & Son

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times