The perfect buyer for €2.7m Cork castle exists — the problem is, he's the vendor

US man John Lundy is selling on his Carrigacunna House (with swimming pool) and castle on the River Blackwater, upriver of the likes of Michael Flatley and James Dyson

Carrigacunna Castle is near Killavullen, between Mallow and Fermoy on the River Blackwater. Estate agent Fiona Waldron of Auctioneera guides at €2.7 million

Killavullen, North Cork
€2.7 million
Size	796 sq m (8,500 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4 + 2
Bathrooms	5
BER	Exempt

IF you were to guess at who’d be a likely buyer for North Cork’s Carrigacunna Castle, the adjacent period home with award-winning indoor swimming pool in an converted stable block, and 50 acres of wooded land, plus walled garden, along with 1,000 metres of fishing rights on the River Blackwater you might hazard along these lines:

American? Tick.

Irish roots? Tick.

Knowledge and expertise of of property? Tick.

Sense of adventure? Tick Wealthy? Tick.

No dip in the market

That’s the exact profile for sure here at Carrigacunna, sort of mid-way along the luscious River Blackwater between Mallow to the east/upriver side, and Fermoy to the east and downriver.

The only problem is…. this buyer profile is slightly historic: it perfectly describes the vendor, New York-born John Lundy, who bought Carrigacunna only as recently as 2018 for a recorded €1.85 million, following it up with an investment/mixed use property in Cork city’s historic Huguenot Quarter, on French Church Street.

Carrigacunna includes house with glazed atrium, lodge, land, walled garden and 16th century tower house

Quite possibly a romantic at heart, and a young 60 at heart with a young family, Mr Lundy has family roots in Louth, and in Kerry, plus a sister (the ‘menopause medical guru’ Dr Deirdre Lundy) living in Co Wicklow.

Castle yours to keep

He fell head over heels too for Carrigacunna with its 600 year old castle keep in a commanding position on a high bluff over the Blackwater, near wooded hills and Killavullen village, linked down the years to the likes of Edmund Burke, Nano Nagle and the Hennessy family, of cognac dynasty fame, whose Ballymacoy House (in the view) dates to the early 1800s.

That was the period too when Carrigacunna House was built, put at c 1814 for a Henry Baldwin Foott, while Killavullen is itself upriver of entertainer Michael Flatley’s Castlehyde near Fermoy, and also further upriver of billionaire James Dyson’s Ballynatray Demesne on the Cork-Waterford border near Youghal, a recent c €35m+ plus purchase.

Modern meets maturity

Moving on a few centuries, Carrigacunna ended up 200 years later in the hands of a UK couple Rod Springett, a graphic designer and his artist wife Ros, who made extensive changes/additions, including a double height glazed atrium/link, new services and they put a swimming pool in a converted coach-house/stables too.

Those design changes were variously credited to Springett Mackay Architects and to a Simon Templeton (who did work around the same time for Tony Blair), with the pool in particular getting mention for its design: the influential Architectural Digest said of NI-born Simon Templeton that his projects “include historic properties for high-profile Brits.”

The 15m by 4.5 m pool and Springett Mackay got favourable mention in the likes of Architectural Review, who described it as having “a sensuous integrity rarely encountered in such conversions.”

In the last owners’ design savvy hands, Carrigacunna House had a modern, contemporary sensibility mixed with its Georgian and Victorian house features; that move towards the modern got a slight reversal once John Lundy bought, as he was inclined to take the décor back to the more traditional period, country house look.

He had plans for an upmarket wedding venue here too. As part of that plan both the period house and the adjacent 16th century castle were used as a location venue for a book on preparing for an Irish wedding. The plans, which included booking for a cool €5,000 a day (minus catering) didn’t make it all the way down the aisle…

Instead, after small scale interventions and all the signs of active use and appreciative enjoyment (there’s a baby in the house, plus older offspring and in-laws from overseas as well right now, and much coming and goings) Mr Lundy has decided to sell on his project and property, certainly one of the more engaging mixes of the moment, offering lifestyle opportunities galore for the right buyer.

Carrigacunna House and castle is fresh to market this July with estate agent Fiona Waldron of Auctioneera, who guides the beguiling mix at €2.7 million: she has just started viewings of the extensive array, which clearly take time to fully absorb on each walk-through.

Ms Waldron says initial reactions to the Carrigacunna estate “has been excellent; we’ve already had a couple of viewings and expect more over the next couple of weeks.” As might be expected interest so far has “originated from both domestic and international parties.

“People love the historic element of the castle with its amazing views across the Blackwater Valley. The estate boasts over 1,000 meters of fishing rights, making it a dreamland for fishing enthusiasts!” She adds that the modern touches, such as the spa and pool area “are a pleasant surprise, and interested parties appreciate the seamless integration of the modern extensions on the site.”

Lots of heritage buildings, and most of 55 acres is wooded

The setting is about 20 miles north of Cork city and is quiet, with hills and forestry to the south and the Blackwater at its feet to the north, with a beech tree-lined avenue from the house/castle to the village, ending by a gate lodge, also part of this sale.

That’s the longer, slower way into and out of the property, the other is shorter, with a portion shared with the next door neighbour who has an equestrian facility just on the western boundary with another series of buildings on that side.

Carrigacunna House features in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, which puts its date at about 1826, with sections pre-dating it and its receding side/rear bays, likely dating back to the 1750s.

In a further appraisal, the Inventory notes that Carrigacunna Castle “represents an excellent example of continuity from the medieval period to the present time,” and various accounts put this castle’s origins at either the 15th or 16th centuries.

The castle (complete with ‘murder hole’ for defence) was taken in hand around 2010, during previous owners’ times here, when it was reroofed and has several internal rooms, plus a commanding view upriver along the Blackwater.

Combined, the castle, extended four/five bedroomed house, outbuildings (now with swimming pool) lawns, grounds, acre of walled garden and approaches “all add important context to the site,” the National Inventory observes.

Auctioneera’s Fiona Waldron says the tranquillity of the locality, along with the amenities on the estate “have also received positive comments.

“In general, I believe the buyer will be a growing family who aspire to having access to the outdoor aspects of Irish country life.”

She describes the €2.7 million offer as “seamlessly blending centuries of history with modern luxury,” with a 7,500 sq ft main house with four great reception rooms, games room, catering-scale kitchen and back kitchen, plus historic tower house, mixing original architectural features with modern alterations and suggests it could be “a majestic venue for events, with the potential to add accommodation subject to planning.”

As it stands, it has four first floor bedrooms (the distant gate lodge has two more: guests at a distance?!) so some new owners might seek to add bedrooms, even for private/immediate family use and, in any case, there’s hardly a shortage of existing building, some 16,000 sq ft in all across the house, outbuildings, castle and gate lodge, plus 55 acre to roam.

Most of the land is planted (the Springetts reportedly planted 25,000 trees in their tenure) whilst the walled garden right now is a bit of sleeping giant, full of potential to rekindle after few fallow years with an existing glasshouse in its midst, and fruit trees around its old, high stone walls.

VERDICT: A River Blackwater original, coming back to market at a time when the once-famed angling river may be back in the ascendant.

Ballynatray’s remarkable €35m (plus current refurb costs) sale price to James Dyson on 850 acres has made international media, and its purchase was followed by the €12m offer of the Fortwilliam Estate of 10,000 sq ft house on 390 acres with double bank fishing rights at the start of this summer..

Billionaire James Dyson will be a 'distant' neighbour on the River Blackwater at  Ballynatray House near Youghal.

Given that sort of competition (Michel Flatley’s Castlehyde has been on and off the market too, at prices from €12.5m to as much as €30m a decade or so back), north Cork’s Carrigacunna Castle just might look cheap at a mere €2.7 million. Roll up, ye real estate moguls.