€275,000 goal for Cherrygarth home

FOOTBALLING legend Billy Morgan thinks Cork will beat Down tomorrow in the All Ireland Football Final – but he won’t put his house on it. Instead, he’s putting his house on the market.

He’s spent half of his life in this four-bed Douglas area home with his wife, Mary, and with two sons, Brian and Alan, now in their 30s (and a six-month old grandson as well,) the 65-year-old has decided it is time to trade down.

The Morgans are moving to a house on the South Douglas Road, near Nemo Rangers’ new base, where Billy has an almost 60-year connection with, hence the sale of 5, Cherrygarth, up on the heights of Donnybrook just above Douglas village.

He’s appointed auctioneer Jeremy Murphy (a former footballer with Carbery Rangers in Rosscarbery) as selling agent, and he seeks €275,000 for the four-bed, one en suite home with garage converted from day one to a play room/reception room. And, the garden is big enough to kick a ball around in.

Billy Morgan remembers the day they moved in to Cherrygarth, back in 1978, the day before an All Ireland final between Dublin and Kerry, when Mikey Sheehy lobbed the winning goal past Dublin keeper Paddy Cullen. How he’ll remember this weekend of going to market, with Cork vs Down, has yet to play out.

“I think Cork will do it,” he says faithfully, while sensibly resisting the Irish Examiner’s suggestion to bet the house on it.

And despite rumours last week then he might be lured to Galway as manager, he says, “I’ve had no contact at all withe Galway Country Board. I’ve had offers down the years from other counties, but the only one I’ve any connection with, and would consider working with (his parents were from Galway,) is Galway. But there’s been no approaches.”

Right now, having retired from active playing decades ago, and having managed Cork from ‘86 to ‘96, the former school teacher, one-time bar owner and financial advisor is coaching Nemo Ranger’s intermediate team, and is also involved with UCC.

Meanwhile, if the walls of 5 Cherrygarth could talk they’d ring with details of historic games, player selections, and presumably GAA politics, along with family history.

For new and the next owners, they might like to know No 5 has an interconnecting living room with feature stone fireplace and dining room, a separate front family room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility, guest WC, one of the four bedrooms is en suite, and family bathroom.

Heating is via gas, windows are double glazed, there’s a rear patio and lawns, and the setting is in a quiet cul de sac – or cúl de sac.