Lap up Tideaways home
Built with an exterior of cast stone to resemble cut stone, the distinctive house is on the banks of the Owenabue estuary near Carrigaline in Cork, a couple of miles upriver from Crosshaven and the expanses of Cork harbour. It is the waterside setting that attracted its last owners, and that’s what will appeal again to a new generation of owners.
It was home since 1982 to the legendary Irish yachtsman Denis Doyle and his wife Mary, and following the death of Mr Doyle last year is now being sold by his family. A man of considerable wealth, the late Denis Doyle was a salt in the true sense, skippering his third Moonduster yacht on his 20th consecutive Fastnet race at age 80, and he won the Tall Ships race in 1998.
He was director of the Bank of Ireland and IBEC, and even his daily business interests had maritime connections. His Doyle Group of companies was involved in stevedoring, and owned Crosshaven Boatyard as well as having interests in the Verolme dockyard, along with hotel and ferry businesses.
He bought Tideways, on two thirds of an acre back in 1982, and previous owner was Roy Horgan, with livestock and property development interests.
The house is on the market with Joe Woodward estate agent, who doesn’t disclose an asking price, but it is safe to assume his goal of getting well over 1 million for the property.
Its character can just about be glimpsed from the main road entrance gates, but its doesn’t really show just how big a property this is. It is near 4,500 sq ft, but a large part of this is in the extensions and annexe to the eastern side, which includes a swimming pool/leisure centre of 1,500 sq ft, billiard room and large stores. Despite this house’s size, it has just four bedrooms, and apart from the master suite the remaining three bedrooms are of a standard enough size and character.
The best rooms are at ground level, and include a 26’ by 19’ drawing room which goes from front to back of the original house portion, complete with sliding doors to the back patio and gardens.
A large conservatory also spreads across much of the back of the house, with the same northerly view of the river/estuary framed and sheltered by very mature Scots Pine trees.
The shape of the garden’s end, squared off on three sides, indicates that it was once a pier for work-a-day craft - an appropriate property history for a man who had been in the stevedoring and shipping business.
This riverside section along the main road to Crosshaven has four or five fortunate houses with similar frontage: a neighbour clearly enjoys the setting, as a rowing scull is drawn up on the back garden lawn for use when the tides permit.
Accommodation includes two conservatories, large drawing room, formal dining room, cosy study, kitchen with dark oak units, utility, dinette, games room, guest bathroom and four bedrooms, plus heated indoor pool with access to the back gardens and water’s edge.
