This one sits at the end of a lane in Gurteenbeha, in north County Cork, set back to the west of the road with its front elevation facing southeast. What catches the attention is the combination of features: five bays across the façade, a central door tucked behind a porch, a single brick chimney rising from the centre of the roof, and the thatch still in place.

The five-bay, centrally-doored form became popular in rural Ireland during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, often representing a step up from the simpler three-bay cottage. The symmetry was considered respectable, and the central entrance gave the house a modest formality. Hipped thatching requires more skill and material than a simple ridge roof and was generally associated with older or more carefully maintained vernacular buildings. The brick chimney, rather than one built from local stone, suggests some access to materials or craft that went slightly beyond the purely local. Taken together, the details point to a house that was, in its time, a considered piece of domestic architecture rather than the most basic form of rural shelter.