Cover story: Bask on Marina and watch the world sail by

Location: Marina, Blackrock

THROUGH several centuries, Cork has had tree-lined promenades of note for its active citizens to take the fresh air along. The Mardyke and the Marina were the most noted, each celebrated in song and ballad and each, coincidentally, centres of sporting activity as well.

And, while the Mardyke has had many changes (and is home to UCC’s sports complex as well as Fitzgerald’s Park) the Marina has retained a quite, more leafy link to its past.

The Marina is once more one of the most popular city and suburban walks, still graced by centuries old trees, and is a sporting paradise also, with Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the inland side, next to the Atlantic Pond’s wildfowl sanctuary, and on the river side, it’s shipping, sailing and rowing, as it has been for 200 years.

Cork historian Richard Hinchion eloquently bills the Marina as an earthly Eden, and in his book East To Mahon details how the Lee’s shipping channels were adapted in several civic initiatives in the 1760s through to the 1840s. A new limestone wall, later called the Navigation Wall, was projected out from the old Dundanion Quay, and the slob land in between was then filled and reclaimed with dredging and other fill. And, by 1856, a Professor Edmond Murphy of QCC (now UCC) used part of the new, reclaimed land for crop and tree-growing experiments, planting a double bank of elms. Although many were lost 40 years ago to Dutch Elm Disease, replanting has kept faith with the original plan for a long, tree-shaded colonnade stretching out to Blackrock village and facing the many fine, hill-stacked houses and villas of Montenotte and Tivoli across the river. Equally, the Italianate name the Marina was only given to the promenade in 1872, named after a similar slob land fill in Sicily’s Palermo.

Apart from centuries of watching shipping go and come, the Marina’s been popular for pleasure boating and rowing regattas since at least the early 1800s (and power-boating in the 1970s); in a prime position to witness such activity is the Edwardian home called Airgideen — just launched for sale in all of its period finery this week.

Dating to 1905, this handsome and solid home was designed by noted architect Samuel Francis Hynes. Hynes was best known for ecclesiastical designs in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and is credited with the gem-like St Finbarr’s Oratory in Gougane Barra, Farranferris seminary in Cork, and a number of other Munster, Laois and Kilkenny churches and structures.

This left-hand semi called Airgideen was Samuel Francis Hynes’ own home; the current owners say (they’re also in the city’s commercial property and estate agency business), and they are only the third family to have lived here, they believe, having been here since the early 1980s. It has done its business rearing their family, and as empty nesters they are now trading down, but staying in the Blackrock village heartland.

Thus, as one of just about a dozen private homes in all along the Marina, Airgideen comes for sale as a very rare offer. Agents Sheila O’Flynn and Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald guide it at €950,000, describing it as a gem, “graceful and elegant — some might say grand, but at its heart it’s a warm, inviting and truly delightful family home.”

Not only did the owners put down deep roots and great gardens in their 30 or so years of tenure, they also put down moorings. They have kept a small boat almost directly in front of the house on the Lee, all for a €80 a year fee to Port of Cork, and it has facilitated the odd trip to town, and more usually down the river to the harbour and the sea.

There are views up and down the Lee from this substantial family home with its small trove of craft design details and delivery, built with aplomb and a knowing eye, evident in the cast iron rainwater goods, sturdy fascia bargeboards, slate roof, re-brick detailing and hardwood railed balcony, just big enough for a pair of seats for a morning coffee looking up towards Blackrock Castle.

Those views, as well as to Tivoli, are from the front northern elevation and each weekend especially there are club rowers out in singles, sculls, fours and eights from the Marina’s several rowing clubs: “it’s such a joy to see them,” the occupants observe.

Just about all the houses along this village-end of the Marina are keen on gardens, and Airgideen is among the best of them, immaculate front and back, with a very private south-facing back garden, adorned by acers, birches, cedars, magnolias, myrtles and more, as well as several gravel beds and patios, the most useful of which is right by the full-south-facing conservatory extension off the kitchen/casual dining room where most family activity centres.

This sun room draws the house out quite a bit from front to back; it’s very accommodating and much enjoyed; should a new owner have few bob more to spend, a wrap-around add-on or side annex lean-to could work wonders, linked to the calming presence of a family study in what’s called ‘the wing room.’

There’s a warmth, generosity and airiness throughout this Edwardian home of quiet stature, thanks to high ceilings, judicious windows placement, retention and appreciation of architectural details like fireplaces, tiled insets and polished brass canopies, cornice work, and immaculate fluted architraves. There’s also very sensitively crafted double glazing with special glass done to cut out noise from the Port of Cork’s container activities across the river at Tivoli: it’s super-effective, and as a result the sound is less than in most other Blackrock road homes further afield.

This house has two characterful attic level bedrooms plus shower-room, three large bedrooms, study, bathroom and shower room at first floor/return, with a feature large landing and slender French doors to a viewing/seating balcony, and virtually all bedrooms have original fireplaces.

At entry level is a fine hall, with two formal reception rooms to the right and family ‘wing’ room to the left with pristine corner fireplace and windows front and back.

Out behind is a back hall with side garden access, guest WC, and a long kitchen/dining room with wood-burning stove suffusing the large space and seating area with cosy heat. The extensive kitchen units are in maple, topped with beech, and beyond again is the sun-room with its patio and garden views and access.

Condition inside and out is excellent, a testament to care and on-going maintenance, and the tended garden is of the sort that has been enriched with age, as well as a horticultural knowledge and sympathetic eye, and a modicum of sleeves-up work.

Location is about 100 yards from the slip and pier at Blackrock village, and neighbouring Marina homes include one by Dundanion Castle dating to the 1700s, and thought to have been associated with William Penn who departed Blackrock to found the State of Pennsylvania. Other homes span the Victorian/Edwardian era, into the early 1900s, with a couple of distinctive 1970s and 2000s architectural one-offs.

There have only been a few sales in the past decade, with a comparable sized semi and a sizeable detached each making c €1.4m back around 2006/2007, and each of those buys had further investment in new ownership.

Argideen shares its Edwardian design features with a handful of Douglas Road, Wellington Bridge and Gardiner’s Hill family homes of similar stature - and, it’s on the Marina. Site size at Arigideen is probably about one-quarter of an acre, so it’s not too onerous to keep to this high level, leaving plenty of time of a summer’s evening to take the boat down the river.

VERDICT: In the lines of 1950s Cork balladeer Jerry Bruton “Let’s all go down the Marina,

There’s no better place to be,

You can whistle and fife there,

And draw on your pipe there,

Or wriggle your toes in the sea.”