Lynch home under hammer

POLITICAL ecumenism reigns in the sale of the Dublin home of the former Taoiseach, the late Jack Lynch.

A coalition has formed for the auction of the home of Jack and Máirín Lynch, headed by Des O’Malley, son of PD party founder Des O’Malley.

He’s an estate agent in Sherry FitzGerald, run by Mark FitzGerald - son of former Taoiseach Garrett FitzGerald.

The solicitor in charge of the executor sale of 21, Garville Avenue, in Dublin’s Rathgar is Anne Colley, daughter of former Fianna Fáil minister George Colley.

The Victorian red-brick house was home to Jack and Máirín Lynch since 1952. Mrs Lynch died last summer, while Jack Lynch died in 1999.

Cork’s public museum has received memorabilia such as his tobacco pipes, hurleys and All-Ireland GAA medals, while UCC’s library received his papers, including one from Jackie Kennedy thanking him for attending JFK’s funeral.

The Lynchs bought the four-bed house in 1952 when success in politics meant a full-time move to Dublin. Jack Lynch became parliamentary secretary in 1951, and was Taoiseach twice, from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979.

They named the house Lisieux, buying it for the then-heady sum of £2,500; it is guided at over €1.8 million by Geralyn Byrne of Sherry FitzGerald, but it might fetch more than €2m.

It is to be sold by public auction on May 18. As the Dublin 6 area is much favoured by the affluent legal set (the Attorney General, tribunal millionaires, etc) there’s at least a sporting chance it will be bought by a lawyer, making for a professional hat-trick, as its previous owner and Jack Lynch were barristers.

Jack Lynch was aged 34 when he moved into Lisieux, after one of the country’s most illustrious sporting careers.

He played for Cork in eight All-Ireland finals, winning six medals in a row, five in hurling and one in football.

By coincidence, or not, the colours on the hall walls of Lisieux are red and white.