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Wild child seeks
return to roots
Leading lady Laura
Fraser, who has starred alongside Hollywood A list
heartthrobs Ralph Fiennes, Heath Ledger and Johnny Lee
Miller is departing her west Cork bolt hole just outside
the remote village of Ahakista on the scenic Sheep's Head
peninsula. CLIODHNA O'DONOGHUE reports
BORN in Glasgow, Laura
Fraser, the former wild child who also starred alongside
Peter O'Toole, Leonardo Di Caprio and Angelica Huston, is
pregnant and for that reason wants to spend more time
with her Scottish family and friends when not working.
Laura and her Irish born husband Karl Geary bought their
200 year old cottage at Maulnaskehy in January 2004,
trading down from a large New York apartment where Karl
still owns a bar and club called Manhattan's Sin-e.
Performed Having previously shared a flat in London with
Anna Friel, Laura moved to New York to be with Gary who
performed as the star of Hamlet and Timbukto as well as
running his bar there.
They gave up life in the fast lane when they decided to
start a family and journeyed instead through dust and
grime to renovate their cottage which has been replumbed,
rewired, and reroofed.
Laura and Gary now enjoy the hospitality of the Tin Pub
at Ahakita which is made entirely of sheets of tin and
are often joined by their nearest neighbour - singer
Christie Moore.
Comedian Graham Norton last year bought a period house on
four acres locally for €1.5m. Actors Jeremy Irons
and Angela Lansbury are also West Cork fans with the
former owning a pink castle in Ballydehob near Roaring
Water Bay and the latter in Ballycotton.
Laura starred as Lucia in 'Titus' opposite Anthony
Hopkins and in the BBC's latest version of 'Casanova'.
Quite appropriate really, as 'Casanova' translates from
the Italian as 'new house'. Laura also played a
prostitute with Leonardo Di Caprio in 'The Man with the
Iron Mask' as well as 'Cony Island Baby' in which she
starred opposite her Dublin born husband to be.
Her West Cork home is just five minutes drive from the
sea and comprises three bedrooms with two reception rooms
as well as several outbuildings on one acre of lands.
Cathedral The kitchen/dining room has a cathedral
ceiling, ceramic tiled floor and Inglenook fireplace and
there is another "cosy" room with an open
fireplace.
Outside, the outbuildings are ideal for conversion to
guest suites and there is also an orchard that fruits
regularly thanks to the warm air from the Gulf Stream
that flows nearby.
Laura Fraser's agent is Fiona Tobin who works with Celtic
Properties Real Estate Alliance (027-52290).
The property is priced at €340,000 and already a
good amount of interest has been shown by locals and
others seeking a holiday home here.
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