Given the broad sweep of your requirements, hopefully you will get plenty of recommendations from the personal experiences of other Fodorites.

My only recent rental of a property like what you describe was in April '11. I would think the location ticks most of your boxes but I would wonder what your interpretation of "quaint" constitutes as there would be some reservations about the accommodation.

Rosses Point is only a few miles outside Sligo town and the village itself does have a convenience store for most of life's necessities. One of the area's most popular beaches is located there (plus one of Ireland's premier golf links).

The chalet in question, Lazena, has direct access to a short coastal pathway to the beach and has a large picture window offering views of the channel to Oyster and Coney Islands - and across the bay to Knocknarea (a pleasant little challenge to climb on a clear day). Sligo is known as Yeats country so you can visit the poet's grave in Drumcliffe and hopefully Lissadell House will be open to the public this season. For beach walking, other options in the area are Enniscrone (to the west) with Bundoran and Rossnowlagh in the northerly county of Donegal.

While the property itself has the facilities that one might expect, the term "dated" might be the kindest description of the general decor. The property is not a particularly old one so "quaint" doesn't quite apply. Still, the location is first class, the building is on a generously sized and surprisingly private location and it is easily accessible by a national primary route from Dublin.

While there are no shortage of alternative towns/villages along the west coast for you to consider, I am limiting my advice to somewhere I have actually stayed in. The property is advertised on the Irish property site daft.ie.

Good luck with your search!

For fear your search may not gather momentum, I will propose a second location.

I will be staying in the tiny village of Tully Cross in May with friends who are big fans of the area. It is located in North Connemara - a right turn off the road, travelling between Kylemore Abbey and Letterfrack.
There are a number of walks on the doorstep, plus Renvyle House Hotel if you feel like treating yourselves to a meal out.
Connemara National Park is in nearby Letterfrack with a well laid out ascent by footpath to the top of Diamond Hill. There are nice gardens at Kylemore Abbey (Ireland's Taj Mahal, kind of).
Clifden is reasonably close at hand, a pleasant town to visit. There is a ferry from nearby Cleggan to Innisbofin Island, a great day out.

I can get details of the accommodation - which our friends have used previously - if this location is of interest to you.

I'm Irish but live abroad. I have two small children. I find when I go back to Ireland I like to rent a house/apartment (easier than a hotel with kids) but like to have nice facilities at hand.

I have put together a list of a few very nice hotels in Ireland that have houses/apartment that you can rent on the grounds, but you can still avail of the facilities in the hotel. This works really well for families or small groups.


http://www.naturalretreats.ie/


http://www.fotaisland.ie/Lodge-Gallery

http://www.mountfalcon.com/?treeid=110&Roomid=6

http://www.kilronancastle.ie/self-Catering-Cottages.html

http://www.waterfordcastle.com/holidayhomes/
http://www.castleleslie.com/4-star-self-catering-ireland.html
http://www.mulrannyparkhotel.ie/westport-apartments
http://www.doonbeglodge.com/links-cottages.html
http://www.mountwolseley.ie/holiday-lodges.html
http://www.renvyle.com/en/accommodation/
http://www.icehousehotel.ie/riverside-suites.html
http://www.inchydoneyisland.com/apartments.htm
http://www.fallshotel.ie/Clare-self-catering.htm

http://www.dreamireland.com/home/index.php

Many thanks for all of these great suggestions.