Horseshoe-shaped Dog’s Bay is one of Connemara’s loveliest beaches, with more than a mile of white sand made pearlescent by finely ground seashells. Popular with hardy sea swimmers and dog walkers, it sits a few minutes’ drive from the fishing village of Roundstone, which hums with second-home owners in summer but was gloriously quiet during my clear January weekend visit.
I was there to see an excellent glass villa: a modernist reimagining of a traditional cottage set in an elemental landscape. The property is surrounded by tiny fields stitched with moss-covered stone walls and guarded by spindly, winter-bare trees. Its wow factor is the view—the south-facing house catches both sunrise and sunset; early mornings were streaked with candyfloss clouds and evenings burned orange, the distant Aran Islands blurring on the horizon.
This is a beach house in the plushest sense. A hot tub overlooks the bay for warming up after dips in the crystal-clear sea (Dog’s Bay is a two-minute drive), and the hosts provide cozy robes, fluffy towels, and slippers. Dogs are warmly welcomed—there’s a hook and bowl in the entrance, a dog bed by the large stone fireplace, and dog portraits on the walls. A soaring 100-foot wall of glass frames the view from the pitch-roofed living/dining area and two primary bedrooms, each with a walk-in wardrobe and a large bathroom with a tub you can sit in while looking out to sea.
The fully equipped kitchen and a ten-seat table make this a spot for family or friends to cook and linger. The kids’ room sleeps four: a bunk that fits three and an additional bed reached by a ladder, plus toys and books. For rainy days there’s a home-theater-style art TV with streaming and an electric Yamaha piano that invites sing-alongs.
Known as Brandy & Soda House—named for the lane locals walked on their way to the pub—the place was renovated by Galway-born Damien McKeon and his Melburnian wife, Sarah Lucas. They rescued a tumbledown cottage after spotting its view through broken windows and cleared the overgrowth to reveal the setting. The interiors have an Australian lightness balanced by large photographs of Connemara’s land and seascapes.
A generous welcome hamper includes warming brandy in bespoke glasses, soda bread, local cheeses, seaweed salt, and jam made by the nuns of nearby Kylemore Abbey. If you don’t feel like cooking, Roundstone’s O’Dowd’s serves creamy pints of Guinness and nearby Vaughan’s offers Killary mussels and garlicky crab claws.
