House has rich and inspiring past

A FASCINATING past and a beguiling future rest with this Monatrim, Co Waterford home.

In the greater Lismore area of that scenic county area, the unusual and architect-designed bungalow is on an acre, at the watershed of two rivers, the Bride to the south and the more muscular Blackwater to the north.

Designed by Waterford architect Robert Jacob back in the early 1950s, for a master printer from London, Walter Pearce, and featuring an angled large window to the rear (like the side of a ship) for landscape views, it has had a string of interesting owners.

One of the occupants was the painter Charles Brady, who moved to Ireland from New York in 1959, and who had a joint exhibition called Three open in October 2007 in the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Another Pearce family member, Walter’s son, Brian, put down firm local roots at Monatrim, turning the hillside land into a fertile farm and he, along with John Barry of the ICMSA, were among the founder members of the Waterford section of the National Farmers Association, now the IFA. Brian (an uncle of the craftsmen Stephen and Simon Pearce) later went on to become deputy director of the overseas aid agency, Concern.

Brian and his wife, Eilish, used Monatrim as a holiday home for more than 25 years. It is now set to leave extended family hands for the first time.

Set overlooking the Bride Valley, it is being listed for sale with Ken Madden Estates in Lismore, who seek around €245,000.

Ken Madden says it will suit those “looking for a residence or holiday home in a private rural setting.”

It needs a bit of TLC and adaptation, but the setting, the acre and the unusual features that form its novel, bespoke design will make it a special buy, he adds.

It has a wood-floored hall, a living room 18’ by 13’ with bay window and open fire, a kitchen/ dining room with stove, three bedrooms, WC and bathroom, and weighs in at a shade under a manageable 1,000 sq ft.

There’s a utility and store to one end, with access to a loft, which may have conversion potential, while the grounds have a shed, small front lawn and the rest of the acre needs reclamation and tending.

Roll up those sleeves and get this Monatrim house prim and proper once more.