Happy Fourth of July.
As millions of Americans mark Independence Day, it’s a moment to pause and reflect—on freedom and the places that call to us.
For some, those places are quiet corners of the world where life moves more slowly, where the landscape feels timeless, and where there’s space to dream a little differently. Here, you could find more than a home. You might discover a sanctuary.
You don’t find it with a calculator. You find it when you round a bend in the road and glimpse stone walls mossed with age…when the air smells of salt and peat…when something inside you says, yes, this is it.
Ireland has more than its share of places like this. Seaside towns wrapped in history. Farmhouses built to weather the Atlantic wind. Paths lined with foxglove and heather that seem to lead nowhere—and everywhere.
These aren’t properties to flip or fill with tenants. They’re places to breathe…places for making jam, growing potatoes, or writing the book you’ve always meant to.
Places that might not double your money…but could double your joy.
Along the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, life slows down and the landscape does all the talking.
There’s a town in Ireland that stands out to me…the perfect place to have a hidden retreat…let me tell you about it.
An Idyllic Retreat in the Irish Countryside
This destination has been known to me since childhood…though it’s a place that has only come into its own in recent decades as my home country of Ireland experienced its economic transformation.
Cahersiveen is a charming coastal town set along the famous Ring of Kerry driving route in southwestern Ireland. This is a place where pastel-colored houses line the main street…wooden fishing boats bob in the harbor…and life is lived at an agreeably gentle pace…
For nature lovers, Cahersiveen is a launchpad. You can hike the Kerry Way, explore the Skellig Ring, or take a boat out to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Skellig Michael, with its puffins and stone beehive huts perched atop a sea-swept island.
Cahersiveen is a charming coastal town where colorful streets, deep-rooted history, and wild Atlantic scenery come together in one of Ireland’s true hidden gems.
My childhood memories of Cahersiveen are of a downtrodden place. But as my homeland has grown wealthy, Cahersiveen has been reborn.
In more recent years, I’ve been spending more time in and around Cahersiveen, and I’ve been astonished by the transformation of this town. It has become an idyllic slice of rural Ireland. And one that I expect, like our other hidden destinations above, will only become more known and more desirable in time.
Cahersiveen is set on the famed Ring of Kerry driving route in County Kerry, along southwestern Ireland’s dramatic Atlantic coast.
Here’s a hideaway opportunity I like here…
This shell of a traditional two-story home is on the market in the Ballinskelligs area, near Cahersiveen, for €125,000 ($147,400).
The appeal of this opportunity is that it’s a complete blank canvas…something to put your mark on. It could be shaped into a home with an entirely modern interior and entirely traditional exterior, which would have big rental appeal.
The property also comes with almost two acres of land and the location is very strong. It’s set along a quiet residential road off the Ring of Kerry. Cahersiveen is a 15-minute drive…Waterville village is 10 minutes away…and in the area there’s exceptional golf, fishing, and Blue Flag beaches.
This shell would require a near-complete rebuild. But you’d struggle to find a more idyllic location for a rural Irish hideaway. Listing here.
If you don’t want to take on such an extensive redevelopment project, I found a few move-in-ready homes that stand out.
This four-bed, three-bath was built just over two decades ago in the style of a traditional Irish home. Set across 2,500 square feet, it’s in a stunning location, at the foothills of Knocknadobar and less than half a mile from Coonanna Pier. With its style and setting, I’d expect this to have big appeal as a short-term rental in peak season. It’s on the market for €495,000 ($583,800).
A smaller, more affordable option that also conveys that Irish rural ideal, this two-bed cottage is on the market in Cahersiveen for €287,500 ($339,000).
Situated on an elevated site, it offers sea views out to Valentia Island…a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and striking coastal landscapes. Inside, the home has been modernized and it has adjacent land totaling two acres.
This four-bed, three-bath home has a traditional exterior, but inside is modern. It’s on the market for €495,000 ($583,800). Listing here.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. Want to be first to hear about hidden hideaways like these—before the crowd does? Join RETA and get full access to our boots-on-the-ground research, off-market deals, and scouting insights from across the globe.
