Creggan home is among the top in the country

A LOCAL home described as a ‘fairytale castle’ has been featured alongside 20 of the most incredible homes in Ireland.

Elaine Donaghy McCrory and Kevin McCrory’s Creggan home was selected to be featured on RTE’s Home of the Year, and the episode was aired on Tuesday night.

The couple’s self build home didn’t make it to the final, but it had viewers amazed with its stunning interior and modern finish.

The couple managed the entire project themselves over a five-year period – they started the ground works in May 2011 and moved into their new home on August 26 2016.

Elaine’s dad was a contractor in his earlier days and he was heavily involved in working on the project, and Elaine confessed she is a real home bird and feels strongly about her roots, so it helps that their site is next door to her home house.

The design of the house is described as having a mix of old with a twist of modern features. Their snug is their tower room that is finished in stone on the exterior.

Elaine said the couple took their time with the build as they wanted to invest their own time and money into their home and feels the interior style very much reflects their personality and is a unique style with lots of different features.

Elaine, who has a local blog ‘Elaine’s Roves ‘n Troves’, said they had a family gathering to watch the show together.

Posting on Facebook, she said “I was so anxious about how our home would come across and more importantly what the judges would say, but I was actually overwhelmed with their feedback.

“So whilst we didn’t make it through to the final, we are so privileged and honoured, firstly to be considered for the show, let alone make the cut to be featured alongside these 20 other incredible homes across Ireland. Thank you for each and every single message, share, comment, like and shout out – the support and kindness shown has been simply incredible and overwhelming.”

In the end, the judges gave a Cavan home 27 points, a Dublin home 24 points and the Tyrone house 24 points, so the Cavan home progresses to the final.