A couple added a wonderly wagon to their period property in Mayo

Asking price: €1.39m

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Crowley (098) 29009​

A ‘shepherd’s hut’ was a home on wheels which was pulled into its place in a field by a horse or a donkey.

Primarily English and French in origin, they were used from the 16th century to the 19th century to provide a shepherd with practical and durable accommodation that was mobile enough to follow grazing sheep from one field to the next.

They came with a stove for warmth and cooking, and a window on each side so the shepherd could see the flock.

The bed bunk was normally set above a cage for keeping lambs safe and there was a cupboard for medicines, generally a bottle of whiskey for reviving a newly born lamb.

Shepherd’s huts died out in the early part of the 20th Century but returned with a bang in recent years for the purpose of glamping. A new version will cost you more than €20,000.

A prime version is part of the deal at Riverside House at Newport in Co Mayo where household guests can relax while listening to the Black Oak River flowing past.

“We got it made in Mullingar by a father-and-son team seven or eight years ago (Coyle Shepherds’ Huts). It’s handmade with great skill and love,” says John Campbell.

“People love it. You’re only eight or 10 feet from the river and the way it’s designed, you can be lying in bed with the half door open watching the river flow by. It’s pretty special,” says his partner Erica Vaughan.

“We’ve got four kinds of bats, otters, pearl mussels… there’s a particular family of herons. At this time of year there are always fish jumping.”

The 92 sq ft hut on wheels is insulated with a vapour barrier and heated by a solid-fuel stove.

Considerably more spacious is Riverside House, their 1836-built dwelling with 3,404.27 sq ft of living space laid out over three floors.

Campbell and Vaughan have tried to preserve its character while also boosting its energy rating to a very respectable (for its age) C3.

The couple also spent €40,000 on solar panels last year, which are discreetly placed out of sight.

This investment will pay for itself within another two years despite being located in what is officially the most rainy part of Ireland.

“That’s been a game-changer for us. Even when overcast, we’re still generating 50 or 60 kilowatts by the end of the day. To give you an idea of what that means — a regular household uses 11 kilowatts a day,” says Campbell.

“Our electricity bills were €1,300-€1,400. Now they’re €300.”

A fast-charger port for EVs also helps make the most of the free electricity.

Campbell prefers a more rural location than his congested Dublin birthplace.

“Once you’ve come here and get out of the traffic, it’s very hard to go back. I wouldn’t live anywhere else now.”

Vaughan is from Australia, where the couple lived before deciding that they wanted to ‘bring their kids up’ in the West of Ireland. They chose Newport as a hidden ‘gem’ of the West.

“It’s really come on in the last couple of years with the Greenway that’s bringing people and investment here. It’s quite a vibrant little village,” says Vaughan.

Despite its name, Newport is older than its more famous neighbour Westport, with an even more interesting backstory.

The town’s name and quays date back to the early 18th century, when a Quaker settlement founded a local linen industry.

Campbell says he found buried treasure of another sort on the grounds of Riverside House: “A doctor used to live here many years ago and we have an amazing collection of antique medicine bottles dug up from the garden.”

The five-bedroomed main house has plenty of historical features, including its doors, tiling, cornices, fireplaces, staircases, ceiling roses and light fittings.

The 25ft long entrance hall retains its original 19th-century tiled floor overlooked by high ceilings and original cornicing.

The 360 sq ft living room also has its own period features complemented by a pitch pine floor, an Irish marble fireplace (salvaged from The Railway Hotel in Westport) and recently added double-glazed sash windows.

The dining room has a tiled floor, timber ceiling with exposed painted ceiling beams and limestone fireplace with solid-fuel stove.

The kitchen is appropriately Georgian-style with painted hand-made units and an oil-fired Aga, Belfast sink and another exposed natural stone wall.

The main bathroom has steps with a wrought-iron handrail leading down to a standalone antique-style bath in the middle of wide-board pine floor with another exposed natural stone wall.

There’s also a small office and a lobby/games room with a tiled floor and a natural stone wall.

The orangery covers 300 sq ft with tiled floor, stained-glass door, exposed stone and double doors with views of the river that lead out onto a courtyard.

The five bedrooms (two en suite) are all bright and look out onto either the river or the garden. The original coach house has been converted into a one-bedroom chalet, plus a garage and a utility room.

The garden is bordered by the Castlebar Road as well as the river, but it is walled and mature and extensive enough (covering 2.25 acres) to be private.

There’s also a slipway providing access to the river. Now the couple have decided to move back to Australia to give their children the best of both sides of the world.

“We left Australia with two young babies when Erica very kindly agreed to come back here with me. They’re now halfway through secondary school. So it’s time for them to experience their Australian heritage,” Campbell says.

Sherry Fitzgerald Crowley is seeking €1.39m for Riverside House on their behalf.