Riverview House has links with United Irishmen

A SHANNONSIDE period home with strong links to the FitzGerald family and the Knights of Glin, as well as United Irishmen and literary associations, is up for sale at a price tag which even today sounds old fashioned.

A mile from Tarbert and its Shannon crossing ferry in Kerry, Riverview House was previously called Ballydonoghue House, and was part of the FitzGerald Estate.

It carries a €350,000 price guide, and although it needs a bit of an overhaul (best budget on a further €100,000 or so) will still be a fine comfortable home for future generations at a price city dwellers can only envy.

A fine block of a home, on 4.7 acres a mile from Tarbert village, it is two storeys over basement with graceful bay windows on a gable end.

It dates to the 1830s and was built by the FitzGerald family, by nephews of the knight of Glin whose ancestral home Glin Castle is now open to paying guests.

The Rev. Richard FitzGerald, son of United Irishmen Gerad FitzGerald, is said to have written the original story of the tragic ‘Colleen Bawn’ here.

Agents Shery FitzGerald Ruddle describe it as a villa style house, with 4,000 sq ft of space and lots of original architectural features.

Pride of place might go to the dining room with its large crescent bay window overlooking the Shannon Estuary, with double doors to a smoking room. Draw back more doors to the drawing room, and you get a run of three fine reception rooms for your house-warming party.

This house - with period fireplaces galore for warming - has porch, hall 17’ by 17’ with double arches and wide old staircase, a study with fireplace and bookcases, big dining room and smoking room, both with fireplaces, drawing room, also with a marble fireplace and bay window, and shower room/WC. There are six first floor bedrooms, four with fireplaces, shower room and bathroom.