Regency delight delectably Déise

Tommy Barker is impressed by the history and style of Clonkerdin House near Dungarvan.

Location: Cappagh, Waterford

Price: €775,000

Size: Sq m 464 (5,000)

Bedrooms: 6 Bathrooms: 4

Best feature: Locally-rooted

Lots people have walked the land at Waterford’s charming Clonkerdin House, including the late businessman Sir Basil Goulding, of fertiliser fortunes and fame, who in the run up to EEC succession in the early 1970s extolled Munster farmers to ‘think big.’ Others to step it out at the property include dozens of local schoolchildren from Ballinameela/Whitechurch NS, learning about trees and nature on class visits. Now, the land around this wonderful Déise home is being walked by prospective purchasers, from near and far, as it’s due to leave caring family hands after almost a century in service.

Clonkerdin House has been owned by the Twomey family since 1919, and it’s where enterprising farmer Derry Twomey was born in 1930, grew up, farmed out of, and reared a family with his late wife Bernie, who died in 2007.

Now, having been a strong figure in the Irish co-op movement ICOS, and chair of the Irish Grassland Association, and an early 1960s proponent of bulk milk tanks, a dairy farmer, dry-stock farmer, pig farmer (he helped set up a 4,000 animal pig fattening station near Dungarvan, still in operation) and having reclaimed elevated lands near Helvick Head, it’s taking it easier time for Mr Twomey. He’s set to trade down, moving by the sea at Ardmore to family, handing the period house on to a new family of occupants.

“A group of children from the local national school were here a few weeks ago with Glanbia, who were telling them about the land, the farm, and showing them the trees and one child said ‘Derry, it’s very sad you have to sell and leave it.’ I told them it’s not sad at all, it’s entirely natural and I had a wonderful life here with my wife Bernie, with great parties and visitors, and now I’m going to live with my grandchildren,” comments the philosophical vendor of another life chapter opening.

The early 1800s house, previously associated with the Quinlan family who’d leased it from Lord Stuart de Decies, is to be sold by public auction by Dungarvan-based Eamonn Spratt of REA Spratt. July 25 is the auction date, with a good lead-in time and already there have been calls from the UK and US, as well as obvious local interest in this enviable lifestyle option, guided at €775,000.

That’s an evocative Regency-style home of 5,000 sq ft, with graceful retained features under deep eaves, on 54 acres in five fields, with lawns and gardens, courtyard, coachhouse, and a mix of old farm buildings (largely unused in the past decade or two) and several haybarns. For anyone into hobby-farming, or horses, or wildlife, there’s lots to get off on a canter with, and the new waterwell will pump 800 gallons of pure, tested water an hour, enough for hundreds of cattle.

Eamonn Spratt says the gardens are a kid’s paradise.

Coming up on 200 years of age, it’s attractively old-world and little interfered with, with six bedrooms, two en suites, old staff quarters and with two quite formal reception rooms — complete with lead-lined wooden shutters.!

Also on the security front, Clonkerdin House had a new, replacement hardwood door and fanlight installed in recent decades, next to its appealing double-height bow bay, and the original door lock has been reinstalled, replete with polished brass casing.

The walls are old lime render, the roof is slate, rainwater gutters are cast iron, and the house looks out on well-kept grounds.

Setting is private, six miles from Dungarvan and both Waterford (45kms) and Cork (80kms) cities are an easy drive away, as are beaches, the Copper Coast, hill walks in the Comeraghs, golf and fishing.

It’s going to need further investment and upgrading in things like kitchen and bathrooms, and already has CCTV, alarm, new well — and WiFi. Always the early adapter, Derry Twomey is a dinger on his iPad.

VERDICT: Sheer Waterford class.