Dingle house where Saoirse Ronan and Waking Ned stayed was painted for €1.4m – The Irish Times

It’s interesting that Ros and John Hubbard, who discovered some of Ireland’s brightest acting talents, never had the wonderful views from their home on the Dingle Peninsula when they bought it.

“We were invited to dinner by watercolor artist Tom Roche, so seven of us packed into the Mini and headed there for the party. Back then it was just an old cottage (early 1900s). Later, someone said Tom would have to sell, and John simply said, “Tell him it’s sold.” It was a bit crazy because we had a mortgage in London and I had no idea where we would get a mortgage to buy it,” says Ros.

As a woman who discovered stars such as Colin Farrell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and saw potential in a young Kate Winslet, Ros moved to London where she married John. Their company, Hubbard Casting, synonymous with casting breakout actors, has since been joined by their children, Amy and Dan.

Of his latest project, Ros says: “We’ve just finished filming Cry of the Sea (starring Aidan Quinn and Dominic Cooper) in Belmullet, where my mother is from.

“The lighthouse up there really helped. We also spent time in Belgium recording Godspy, the remarkable story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the pastor who tried to stop Hitler and was hanged two weeks before Hitler died.”

( Extended triple room from Aviva for €945,000. )

Using the house as a summer home, “filled with children” every year, the couple realized it was the perfect balance away from the hustle and bustle of London life. To this end, Ros, together with local engineer Sean Moriarty, designed an extension to the house, which now measures 327 square meters. m (3520 sq. ft.). “We had a dream to give up cinema and open a guest house here. Although this did not actually happen, we were renting out the cottage (which can be closed off from the rest of the property) and also received requests from actors to stay.”

Those who have stayed at the cottage include actor Saoirse Ronan, as well as writer Anne Enright, the late director Alan Parker and actor and comedian Denis Leary, whom Roz describes as “hilarious”. The script for Waking Ned was written at home: “Kirk Jones came to us with a short film set in Bristol, but it had so much potential that I told him to go to the house in Dingle, write a feature-length script and direct it in Ireland.

“He took the names of the characters from the local cemetery and got a comic idea of ​​what it means to be Irish. But no one touched it then and it had to be made on the Isle of Man. It cost about $2 million to make, but ended up making more than $55 million,” says Ros.

Tigín An Béar is a truly charming home set on a mature 0.4 acre site with panoramic views over the Dingle Peninsula. There are seven bedrooms in total: five in the new building, all of which are doubles, with en-suite bathrooms and access to a large balcony with sea views over the bay and Cahersiveen. A further two bedrooms are located in the original cottage, which is ideal for guests or rental use. The reception rooms include two reception rooms and a study, and the property also has two kitchens, making the original cottage easier to rent.

The gardens were originally designed by landscape designer Val Griffin with Ros’s niece Fiona Gallagher and are now filled with agapanthus, dahlias, hydrangea and tree ferns all year round.

Tigín An Béar translates to bear’s house, which is how the Hubbards affectionately call each other “bear.” They will miss the views, the peace and quiet of their home, but it is too big for the two of them. As they get closer to the city (they’re just over a kilometer away now), they hope to slow down a bit by “reading some scripts, having some conversations and advising young people.” They are also involved in the local arts scene and sit on the board of the Dingle Film Festival.

They decided to stay here after 40 years in London because “the people here are consistently warm and kind.” To this end, they put their beautiful B3 grade home on the market through Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes and Sherry FitzGerald Stephenson Crean, asking €1.4 million.