Sweeping harbour views in revitalised Passage West

UP CHURCH Hill in Passage West, turn to the right, then climb another bit and you come to Ard Cluain.

The estate lives up to its name: it has sweeping views of the harbour, over to Tivoli and Glanmire in the distance. Still, the wide vista pales into insignificance compared to the glittering expanse of water that is the lower harbour.

Ignored, under-utilised and grossly undervalued, the second deepest harbour in the world had been used and abused by its citizens over the years, but rarely respected. The advent of a concrete Dockland strategy and the development push to the outer harbour is about to change all that.

We could see a day when water taxis ferry commuters from Passage West, Rochestown, Douglas and Mahon to Cork city centre in a way that will probably be a lot quicker that the present road system. And, because of the pressure for more housing, Passage West is already on the way up and is poised to realise its potential as a waterfront town. Plans are afoot for the development of the Passage docklands, held by the Hill family, and the first phase of the latest housing scheme in the town has just sold out with 500-plus units due at Harbour Heights.

Up in Ard Cluain, new houses are in various stages of completion and one 3,000 square foot property here is now on the market with Dermot Lynch of Irish and European.

Given a guide price of €950,000, the design is a compromise between the builder, architect and county council, but for all that, it’s an impressive modern property. The big feature is light, as it has floor to ceiling windows at ground level, including a huge glass front gable.

Space is the second feature of 10, Ard Cluain and the dormer bungalow offers five bedrooms and a huge playroom, as well as lots of living space. It also comes with some chic architectural features, like the glass and steel gangway at first floor level, and a kitchen with massive island unit.

In pristine condition with a configuration that’s totally flexible, this is a modern house for modern living, but with luxury.

A raised terrace runs the length of the back garden (it’s almost 2,000 square feet), laid in Indian sandstone with a grass area that’s easy to keep. An attractive feature is the old limestone wall boundary, and of course, those views.

A short commute to Douglas and a 20-minute drive to the city in good traffic, Ard Cluain is hitting the upper end of the market in the renaissance town.