In the heart of Munster

THE three pillars of any Irish village have always been the church, the creamery and the GAA pitch — and the triumvirate is still relevant today, even in a digital age.

Kilbolane House was built shortly after the war as the creamery manager’s house and is a concrete example of the level of prosperity in this area of north Cork — even before the advent of the EEC and the industrialisation of the dairy industry. Milford, Charleville, is in the heart of the Golden Vale, with some of the richest and most highly productive farmland in the country.

And as a new build, Kilbolane House was ultra modern and ultra luxurious for its time — with its range of bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and down — plus a run of living rooms and surrounding parkland. Very grand.

As a sociological exercise alone, it’s a good indication not only of the status of the local creamery manager but also of the richness of the land in this Cork/Limerick border area.

Set on eight acres of parkland and close to the village, but very private, this is an ideal commuting spot to Limerick and Cork and there’s a mainline rail link at Charleville to both cities.

The house probably replaces an earlier property of the same name and is very close to the Castle of Kilbolane, a very imposing medieval structure looming over the approach to the village from the Charleville side.

Although built fairly late, in the 15th to 16th centuries according to some sources, the castle is Norman in style and probably replaces an earlier de Cogan structure built shortly after the family landed with Strongbow in the 12th century.

Its existence bookmarks all the big names in the area, from the Synans, Desmonds to the Bowens, of Bowenscourt (who basically squatted the castle after the Cromwellian campaign) and although it’s now wired off and dangerous, it is well worth a look.

Meanwhile, Kilbolane House, which was uninhabited for a short period, was purchased online by the present owner, without a viewing.

Familiar with the house in its early days, this overseas buyer got a bit of a land on the first visit to his new acquisition, but nonetheless poured money into the fabric of the building and brought it up-to-date. It now comes with five bedrooms and three bathrooms and its parkland is returned to order.

The renovations are not of the chintz and horse brass type either, rather there’s a sleek kitchen/ diner installed a living room with slot-in gas fire and walnut flooring, (with a signed photo of Frank Sinatra at one end) and a main drawing room with sandstone fireplace at the far end. This has double doors to the south-facing area of the house, where there’s a small private bower.

The L-shape of the building breaks up the mass of the house, with an amount of space in this house, which is considerable and includes two staircases, the formal one to the front and the servants’ stairs at the kitchen end, where two small rooms would have been used for the maid or maids. The rest of the floor has four bedrooms, two of which are en suite and all of the bathrooms are very well finished with good showers run off a pressurised system. Wiring, plumbing and all of the basic systems have been upgraded and the house has a mix of quality wooden floors and wool carpets. Outside, under an original carport is a riders’ changing room and shower room, and close to the house is a modern shed which would be used as an American barn. The Milford property is on the market with Maurice Cohalan of Cohalan Downing and while the agent is not willing to name a price, such a property in this location could make in excess of €750,000.

VERDICT: A move-in proposition and ideal for a horsey family, Kilbolane House offers plenty of room and space for mucking around.