Postman Pat delivers three homes worth €1m for kids
And that is exactly what multi-millionaire postman Pat Broderick has done, after splashing out up to €1m on luxury houses for three of his children.
Generous Pat, 47, has bought his three adult daughters separate family homes in a plush new estate, which is just a five-minute drive away from his own home in Kinsale, Co Cork.
Twin daughters Christina and Ann-Marie, 23, and Louise, 21, are expected to move into their pads in upmarket Abbey Fort within weeks.
The estate, built by Killarney-based developers Dunboy Construction, boasts a children’s playground and tennis court — a world away from the modest family home Pat and wife Mary, 45, still share with their fourth child, Timothy, 15.
A family friend said: “Pat always said after he won the Lotto eight months ago that his priority was to look after his family and he has kept to his word.
“His girls have all grown up now and he’s been looking around for a while now for suitable properties for them in the area.
“Abbey Fort is one of the most desirable addresses in the town, but he was able to negotiate a good deal because house prices have come down a lot and he got a decent price by buying three at the same time.
“Having said that, I doubt he got much change out of €1m for them. But he’s now set his girls up for life and they can either stay there and live mortgage-free or they may decide in time to sell their houses and move on.
“Timothy’s still young and lives with his parents, so obviously he has no need for his own home just yet.”
Although down-to-earth Pat has shown no inclination to treat himself to a luxury new home, earlier this summer he finally traded in the old family car, a battered 10-year-old Peugeot 206, for a 7-series BMW.
But far from squandering a fortune on a brand-new model, Ireland’s wealthiest postman instead went to a second-hand dealer and bought himself a five-year-old motor, believed to be worth about €20,000.
And since quitting his old job of 25 years as a mailman in Kinsale, he has been able to spend more time indulging his passions for golf and bowling.
In between he has taken several short holidays — to the Algarve, Boston and to the British Open in Sandwich in Kent, where he cheered Darren Clarke on to victory.
The family friend added: “Pat’s at his happiest here in Kinsale. It’s where he feels most comfortable and there’s everything here he could wish for.”
