Enjoy Haughey’s home — for €200 a month

Would Charles J Haughey, the former taoiseach, be turning in his grave to know his beloved Abbeville is now home to six resident caretakers with access to all areas right across his former domain?

It’s a moot point, as the magnificent Gandon mansion on 247 acres currently awaits a buyer willing to pay the €7.5m asking price. In the meantime, Camelot Properties, Europe’s largest “protection by occupation” organisation, has installed a group of carefully chosen guardian residents who are enjoying the benefits of living in such a historic building for the very unprincely sum of €200 a month — with all utilities included.

“We have a mixed group of guardians in Abbeville there at the moment,” says Damien Woods, Camelot manager for Ireland.