Lisselan Estate sells for almost €3million

One of West Cork’s period blue-blood properties, the Lisselan Estate near Clonakilty, has found a new, and very local, buyer — Colette Twomey of Clonakilty Blackpudding — for close to €3m.

Lisselan has just been acquired by Ms Twomey, owner of one of Ireland’s most iconic food brands, a former mayor of Clonakilty, and a EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Just last year, in a case of bringing home the bacon, Ms Twomey invested €7m in a new food production building and visitor centre in the edge of the West Cork town, where employment is growing from 50-plus jobs.

Lisselan has a French chateau-style house with turret, 30 acres of Robinsonian gardens by the River Argideen, and 315 acres in all, including an 80-acre, nine-hole golf course, plus the original ruined homestead of the Henry Ford dynasty, all just 5km from Clonakilty. It has been sold after three years on the international market, initially priced at €9m. Since then it had a series of price cuts and a change of selling agents, and was marketed last year by Catherine McAuliffe of Savills, Cork, at €3.6m.