Soprano sells home with links to the family

CARA O’Sullivan is moving on — the soprano is hitting the high road, rather than the usual high notes and is selling her family home on the Old Blackrock Road in Cork.

With the diva's busy work schedule, the large 1930's house is too big for her needs, now that family circumstances have changed and the five-bedroomed, detached house is just on the market this week with Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing and Associates.

Built to last, Cloncorban House is a generously proportioned two-storey with huge, double bays on either side to make the most of the south-facing aspect. It's a warm, family home with an immensely private back garden that's safe and secure, making it ideal for small children. It is guiding at €475,000.

The house retains all of its original features, especially its '30s fireplaces in two of the main living rooms and there are a few more in the bedrooms.

Large, airy rooms flank either side of the entrance hallway and each room has a walk-in bay. The kitchen is behind one of these living rooms and is a traditional-looking room with a country style. The chimney breast, which would formerly has accommodated an old range, now has a cast iron stove and the rest of the room is taken up with a huge circular table, which can take 10 at a squeeze, says Cara. A galley kitchen with sink, cooker and other fittings is off one end of the room and gives access to a back yard. This has a line of attractive old sheds, one of which has an outdoor toilet again, perfect for kids playing outdoors.

A large pergola, with a mature wisteria leads into the lawned area of the back garden: surrounded by really high trees and shrubs, it's shielded from neighbouring houses and is almost like a secret garden.

The last remaining room on the ground floor is a dining room, now used as a study, this has a fine slate fireplace with cast iron inset and windows overlooking the back garden.

A flight of traditional stairs leads to a really bright, spacious landing with all five bedrooms off this square. Three of the rooms are very generous in size, and two in front, in particular have the benefit of those big, square bays. The remaining rooms are singles and there is a main bathroom with shower cubicle.

Tucked behind mature shrubs the front of the house is sheltered, despite facing directly onto the road and it has a driveway to the side with access to the rear.

One of its better selling points, apart from its size and period features, is that the house is just a five-minute walk to the city centre, while still being in a quiet, residential area.

This side of town hasn't seen much action in nearly a hundred years, but the news last week that planning permission for an upmarket development in the grounds of the former Rochelle school, should have profound effects on the neighbourhood.

Classes Land Ltd, an residential building company owned by property developer, Owen O'Callaghan, has received permission for a mixed development of townhouses, apartments and duplexes on a three and a half acre site directly opposite Ms O'Sullivan's house and these are likely to be pitched at the upper end of the market.

Mr O'Callaghan bought the land for the record-breaking price of £1.5 million per acre four years ago, but any plans for the site were held up by objections from locals in the interim.

Following a judicial review at High Court level, the matter was referred to An Bord Pleanala and the original plan of 75 units was scaled down to 70 as one of the conditions of planning.

All the mature trees on site will have to maintained.