Carnelly House is in a class of its own

Rose Martin ponders the idea of living a charmed life in the country.

DURING the dotcom boom, the Irish country house market was the most stratospheric of all of the sectors millionaires were falling over each other to get the country pile to go with the tidy pile.

By 2002, that effect had vanished and country house sales became the smallest market with the biggest houses.

Tatty and architecturally insignificant dwellings in out of the way places linger on auctioneers' windows, but those with good placement, perfect pediments and a pedigree don't have to fight too hard to sell. If you were looking for an example of such a package then Carnelly House must be a main contender.

There have been bigger, more imposing houses with vast tracts of land, but Carnelly has charm oodles of it. And it's in more than walk-in condition, it's practically perfect, with period features left unchanged and lots of 21st century comfort. Four hundred years of occupation leaves its mark, but vendors, the Gleeson family, should take the credit for not just preserving but improving on this Georgian house.

A legal line from Tipperary, the family bought Carnelly House in the 1920s and are now selling it for offers in the region of €2.5 million.

Now run as an upmarket B&B (Dromoland is a couple of miles away), the house is early Georgian in date but Queen Anne in style and incorporates an older dwelling which dates from the 17th century.

The house was designed by Clare-born architect Francis Bindon as a wedding present for his sister, Anna, who married George Stamor and were one of a number of families to have won Carnelly over the centuries.

And while the property and its 68 acres of woodland are historic, it's also set in an area with a number of significant archaeological remains.

One of the largest Irish neolithic settlements is across the border at Lough Gur and the rich farming of the area has seen continual occupation here since the early Stone Age. Nothing that old is found on the property but just past the gate lodge entrance is the Fort field, which has a Bronze Age house and ring fort. Quin Friary, which is nearby, was burned down by one of the earlier, more intolerant Stamors and the megalithic centre at Craggaunowen is a short drive away.

Carnelly should suit buyers with a sense of history as well as style, and as it's so close to Shannon airport, it's ideal for the private jet commuter. It could also appeal to those with commercial interests the location is superb in tourism terms and the fact that it's already set up as a commercial enterprise should ensure a smooth transition.

There are seven en suite bedrooms here as well as private accommodation and staff quarters. Also included in the sale is a gate lodge with two living rooms and two bedrooms.

There are a range of lovely living rooms in the main house which fan out from an inner and outer hall, (the outer hall includes the stone arch from the original house), and rooms are a comfortable size.

Largest is the drawing room of 17' by 33' which has ornate stuccoed ceilings and walls by the Francini brothers and an elaborate niche with Corinthian pillars: doors on either side lead to the house's conservatory. Other rooms include a formal dining room, morning room, library with extensive bookshelves, and all the working rooms for the house like kitchen, utility and boiler room. The bedrooms run along the second floor.

According to selling agent Mark Kelly of Hamilton Osborne King in Cork, Carnelly House is one of the finest country houses to come on the market for a while. If so, then the guide price could be upped in the bidding.