John O’Rourke used his six-bed family home near the sea to host holidaymakers John O'Rourke at Sycamore Lodge, Kilkee, Co Clare this week. Photograph by Eamon Ward John O'Rourke at Sycamore Lodge in Kilkee, Co Clare. Photo: Eamon Ward An aerial shot of the property The entrance hall The dining room The rear of the home One of the bedrooms The kitchen Sycamore Lodge, Lisdeen, Kilkee, Co Clare Asking price: €479,000 Agent: DNG O’Sullivan/ Hurley, Douglas Hurley (086 3844554) John O’Rourke had long dreamt of running a guest house on the coast when he came upon Sycamore Lodge.
The Tudor-style, six-bedroom home, approached by a winding leafy driveway in Kilkee, Co Clare, was not only spacious and inviting, but just a two-minute drive from the sea. “What appealed to me was the scale of the property, coupled with the fact it was on a private site, surrounded by mature trees,” says Laois native O’Rourke, who works in commercial services at a third level institute and was living in Limerick at the time. He bought the house in 2020, after connecting with the previous owners, who designed and built it in the 1980s.
An aerial shot of the property “Its Tudor style was quite distinct for West Clare at the time and the interior was full of character,” he says. “Every room was spacious.” The 3,132 sq ft property was in good repair.
However, O’Rourke has worked continuously on upgrading the interior since purchasing it. He describes the kitchen, which has a cosy, ol.