Ballbulgan House

Detached three- bay two-storey house, built c 1860, having modern glazed single-storey entrance porch to the centre of the main elevation (south). Two-storey extension attached to the west gable end and modern single-storey extension to the rear (north). Pitched natural slate roof having smooth rendered chimneystacks to the gable ends (east and west); pitched corrugated-metal roof to two-storey extension and hipped artificial slate roof to porch. Roughcast rendered walls over painted plinth. Square-headed window openings with raised rendered surrounds, stone sills and six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed door opening to east face of porch having glazed timber door; square-headed doorway behind porch having replacement glazed timber door. Set well-back from road in mature grounds to the north-west of Ballintra. Approach avenue to house from road to the south. Gateway to the south comprising a pair of rubble stone gate piers (on square-plan) having modern mild steel gate.

This appealing and well-proportioned house, of mid nineteenth-century date, retains much of its early character and form despite some modern alterations and additions. Its visual appeal and architectural integrity is enhanced by the retention of the natural slate roof and the timber sliding sash windows. The simple raised surrounds to the window openings adds a subtle element of decorative appeal to this otherwise plain and unassuming house/farmhouse. The form of this building, having wide spaces between the corners and the openings, suggests that it dates to the first decades of the nineteenth century. However, it is not depicted on the 1837 map of the area (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). Three-bay two-storey houses with central door openings were until recent years, a ubiquitous feature of the rural Irish countryside. However, it is now increasingly rare to come across examples in such well-maintained and unaltered condition as this example at Ballybulgan, which adds to its value. This building is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area, adding appeal to the rural landscape to the north-west of Ballintra.