Clonacody has a covered address
The address is the hint. The impressive Georgian property is slap bang in the middle of rich race horse country, with the headquarters of Coolmore Stud — the pre-eminent stallion station in the world — only a few miles down the road.
Clonacody can also lay claim to big wins in the sport of kings: winners of the Gold Cup, the Grand National and the Galway Plate have all been through here.
Small wonder Coolmore’s owner, John Magnier, has reportedly been among interested parties taking a look over Clonacody.
A number of property developers have also been on the long list of viewers, and it’s likely that Celtic Tiger locals will outbid British and Europeans at the auction on October 4.
A little faded, but still in great nick, Clonacody is a rare buy — an early Georgian mansion house with a scattering of other residences, surrounded by fine limestone land and with substantial road frontage, making it a trophy property, to say the least.
There’s also the scenery: the property has views over the Comeraghs, Slievenamon and the bosky parkland of South Tipperary.
Add it all up, and it more or less justifies the guide price of €7 million — which is just for starters. The way viewing is going, it could go for a lot more at auction next week, says selling agent, Angela Casey of Sherry FitzGerald O’Dwyer Davern.
Clonacody House was built around 1782 by the Kellett family, who had a long military tradition (also including an Antarctic explorer and cartographer), and for the last three generations it has been owned by the Carrigan family. They had an award-winning Aberdeen Angus herd in the 1950s and 1960s, and were the first dairy to bottle milk in the district.
In the early seventies, the family moved out of dairying, and into horse training and breeding. And Clonacody is perfect for it: it has a 1.5 mile grass gallop and 18 loose boxes, with more room with the conversion of some outbuildings.
The farmyard is a comprehensive and well-managed arrangement of horse and cattle facilities, and it also comes with staff quarters.
These includes a two-bedroomed gate lodge, a one-bedroomed apartment; a three-bedroomed annex, and a 2,000 square foot building under conversion, which will have three-bedroomed living accommodation when completed.
The farmyard has a cubicle house, a hayshed with lean-to and a number of stone out-buildings which would be suitable for conversion to stabling, says Angela Casey.
The main house is a protected structure, and while in very good condition it will probably be made over by new owners within the guidelines laid down for properties of this quality.
According to Angela Casey, the house has a very homey feel despite its size, (eight bedrooms and four bathrooms) and has had the kitchen area shifted to what would have been the formal, ground floor.
This has a dining room, drawing room, study, kitchen and utility, while the basement has three rooms and a bathroom along with some stores. The bedrooms are spread over floors one and two. The house comes with a ha-ha, a walled garden and 1,500 metres of walled road frontage.
