Belturbet connection to ‘Build Your Own Home’

The latest episode in the RTÉ series 'Build Your Own Home' aired last week and repeated again last weekend, featured a Cavan connection.

Damien McDonald, whose family hail from River Street and formerly owned The White Star pub, which later became The Ducking Stool, was shown helping partner Esther Foreman as she attempted to both design and build a dream home for the couple and their three children.

Aiming to be mortgage free by 50 years, with a budget of €230,000 and no previous building experience, part-time teacher Esther required home-builder and master craftsman, Harrison Gardner, to teach her even the most basic of skills.

With Damien also helping out, the programme follows the house building project at Ardfield, near Clonakilty, from its infancy through to the end, including all the challenges encountered along the way. As the seasons change, it becomes clear to the couple and everyone else involved that this is no ordinary build.

Esther had eyed the site located adjacent to her former residence.

The sheer scale of the dream project might have been enough to scare most people off, but with Harrison’s help, Esther and her nearest and dearest battle the harsh climate, a dwindling pot of money and a lot of hard graft to get their house on the hill finally built.

In the end Esther was delighted to show off a brand-new three-bedroom house built mostly on her own, which Harrison himself describes as “inspirational”.