Spend €2.4m on Abington and become Ronan Keating's neighbour

THERE'S no getting away from Ronan Keating: he is up the charts, in the glossy magazine, on the TV chat shows, he is supposedly buying a Co Mayo island for over €1 million (untrue), and he lives almost over the fence from this Malahide, North Co Dublin home, up for sale with a €2.4 million price guide.

Abington in Co Dublin is famous for two things: one is the sheer quality of the large and exceedingly plush homes in this 50-house development, the other is because Ronan Kating lives here. His wife Yvonne even launched the latest phase of houses to be sold here, neatly mixing celebrity status with neighbouring insight into the joys of family life on this 43 acre wooded estate.

A British tabloid this week suggested Keating was about to buy Inishturkbeg Island with two houses and a degree of self sufficient living as a private retreat for his family, but estate agent and islands specialist Dominic Daly indicates that while he may have viewed it, he won't be the purchaser. He says there is other strong interest in the island.