But for one Co Louth couple the souvenirs and suntan weren't enough. They wanted a more permanent reminder of their life overseas.

Living in Yonkers, New York had such a profound effect on Karen and Michael Duff, they've created their own little America in Drumcashel, Castlebellingham, right in the heart of the country, surrounded by fields, but not too isolated . . . think less downtown, more upstate.

"We loved living in New York, " says Karen who spent eight and a half years there. Michael was there for 17 years, and had set up a painting firm with his brothers. "It was painting other people's houses that gave Michael the inspiration for this place, " says Karen.

What he's designed and built with the help of some very skilled friends is a picture-perfect colonial style, two-storey country retreat that looks like it's been plucked from Connecticut and just planted here. That's not to say it jars with the landscape, in fact it rather cleverly snuggles in to it. The main front section of the house, which protrudes slightly from the pebbledashed wings either side, is built from cut-grey stone with painted white wooden sash windows edged in redbrick. Three pitched dormer windows add character to the long low roof which hangs over a cute railed decked veranda.

"Although it's different and obviously a new build, it doesn't look new, " says Karen, who had no problems getting it through planning. "They just said that we couldn't build it in redbrick but we weren't going to do that anyway."

Building the perfect home was just the start for this couple. Five years on and they've turned it into the ultimate family space for their two daughters Holly (9) and Elizabeth. (2) Despite its size (all 3,000sq ft) there's something about this place that makes you feel at ease the moment you step through the door. "Although it's big, it doesn't have that feeling of overwhelming, " says Karen who's kitted rooms out in chunky, honest, crafted wooden furniture (shipped from America) and painted walls in New York-inspired hues. Or rather Michael has. In fact he's put a lot of work into this place, and not just painting. Every room in this house shows signs of his handiwork.

The overall look is comfortable country with cut-stone walls very much a feature inside too, and with a mix of flagstone and timber flooring underfoot. The kitchen best exemplifies the style with its beamed ceiling and handcrafted painted units topped with solid Iroko. Plates spill out from open shelves while other acroutements adorn the worktops. A painted red island unit provides extra storage space and acts as an impromptu breakfast bar and there's also that must-have Aga, housed in a beautifully tiled inglenook.

"The kitchen's my favourite room, " says Karen. It's perfect for cooking and entertaining and looks even more beautiful on a sunny day with the double doors opened out to the garden."

It's taken five years to get this house just right and a lot of headaches. And while they're sad to be leaving they're not going too far away. They're building a new American dream in a nearby site, only this one will be barn style.

The lowdown

Address: Drumcashel, Castlebellingham, Co Louth
Details: Detached New York colonial style 279sq m (3,000sq ft) home on a one acre site comprising hallway, sitting room, family room, kitchen/dining room, utility, garage, five bedrooms (two en-suite), family bathroom and floored attic with Velux windows.
Highlights: Although it's a new build and very much in the American style, this property somehow manages to fit seamlessly into the landscape
Price: 980,000
Joint agents: Gallagher Property Consultants 041-685 7637 & Sherry FitzGerald Lannon 041-983 8168