Land galore at rare Lee Valley sale, with woods and orchard

Blessed Ard Mhuire’s trump card is its five acres of riverside and woodland grounds by the River Lee, says Tommy Barker.

THERE’S exceptional grounds and space at Ard Mhuire, in Cork’s Inniscarra, just a mile below the Lee valley’s reservoir.

The fine, but dated 1970s house has about half an acre of gardens, with some select trees and borders, an orchard in two sections, useful garage and a mix of small sheds, and the rest of the five acres is pasture, and wonderful woodland, with some specimen trees, especially a grand old oak.

Location is 100’ above river level (there’s a public walk along the river bank below), and the Lee can be glimpsed this time of year through trees in the grounds.

The detached six-bed house is rock-solid, with its main rooms sensibly to the southern side but now needs updating, double glazing and insulating, and some of the back bedrooms could be incorporated as en suites if new owners don’t need all six beds.

A conservatory or new entrance on the sunny side would be an obvious and good investment: really, the options to upgrade will nearly dictate themselves, and the basics are already good.

Ard Mhuire was built as a family home by a local school principal, joint selling agents are Sheila O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald and Joe McCarthy of Irish and European, and they know they’ve a Cork treasure on their hands (six miles/15 mins drive from the city’s edge) here at or around the€565k guide.

An adjoining (and larger) Victorian period home on 2.9 acres with outbuildings sold here over a year ago, most likely in the €800/900k price league and is currently being upgraded and extended.

VERDICT: Worth upgrading the house now, for its great grounds, Ard Mhuire is a real home to put down roots in.