Cranberries’ retreat on the market

A BIG house in your own country estate is the ideal place to throw a lavish party. But lead singer with the Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan, and her husband Don Burton, viewed their Kilmallock home at Riversfield as a retreat from the rock’n’roll lifestyle.

They spent plenty of time and money on their country estate in Co Limerick, but now the celebrity couple currently hitting the headlines have opted to put the property on the market.

For the last six months, they have been looking for a property closer to Dublin, as they are spending more time commuting between Ireland and Canada, Don’s country of birth.

Riversfield is an established equine estate of 150 acres, on the market for “in excess of €3m”, with Hamilton Osborne King Country. It has a large stable yard with 18 stables, numerous paddocks and a disused gallop to the east of the residence.

It was formerly owned by Hugh McMahon, a member of the McMahon timber importing family, who bought it in 1979 for £575,000.

He posted and stud-railed the perimeters of the estate.

At the entrance is a lodge cottage and a swimming pool complex with a gym and a sauna.

The house is well arranged for entertaining, according to joint selling agents Knight Franks in London, with five reception rooms, five bedrooms and four bathrooms.

There’s also a small pool room and a courtyard pizzeria for peckish guests, and a bar with a thatched roof and entertaining terraces.

The formal gardens are beautifully maintained, according to the auctioneers, with manicured box hedging and an ornate pond. There’s a tennis court in good condition, and a children’s play area.

The agents believe that the property will draw wide interest both from horse breeders and trainers in Ireland and abroad. It offers all the ingredients of an important country house with its secluded setting, large gardens and gate lodge accommodation, according to HOK Country.