Home rich in heritage

Ballinhassig, Cork €650,000

Oak floors destined to go under the tapping feet of Michael Flatley at his Castlehyde mansion have, instead, turned up on much of the 4,000 sq ft of space at this equally venerable Ballinhassig home, also with a second, Fermoy link.

Reckoned to date back to the 1700s, and later extended as the home of Lord Fermoy’s land agent (though Fermoy town is 30 miles away), this tall country home called Ragsbridge House and halfway between Cork and Kinsale was rescued from dereliction 13 years ago by enthusiastic renovators, John and Ann-Marie O’Neill and family.

They lavished time, money and passion on it, inside and outside, utilising the best of craftworkers, and integrating old salvage items, such as a stone arch and granite sills from a pre-Famine church, found at the end of the lane at this Clougheenduane rural setting.

And, they also got lots and lots of American red oak for their floors whihc had been imported for Michel Flatley’s Castlehyde renovation on the River Blackwater’s banks near Fermoy. Council planners, who kept a close eye on that costly Castlehyde conservation, insisted Irish wood be used in the floors there, so the O’Neills were able to pounce on them.

The old oak floors are enhanced with some exquisite inlay marquetry work such as a compass outlined in different woods, mid-ships in the house’s front garden room.

This Ballinhassig house, has 3,400 sq ft over its main two levels, plus a further 600 sq ft attic games room, and it’s only being sold due to special circumstances. This mindful renovation job, a 15 minute commute west of Cork city is for sale with Kinsale agent James Murphy, jointly with Denis Ryan in Riverstick: they guide the pristine property on a half-acre of gardens at €650,000, noting its accessibility to city, airport, Bandon and sea at Kinsale.

All five bedrooms are doubles, and two are en suite, so it’s ideal for large families, and the 32’ long top floor attic games room really has space to roam and colonise on top of it all on wet days, while the gardens are on hand the rest of the time with playground, complete with detached garage with overhead office. There’s a 32’ by 13’ family room/games space behind, as well as two reception rooms, one with a wood-burning stove.

There’s another stove in the kitchen, which has solid wood units topped with granite plus a Belfast sink, and there’s ornate, antique Godin stove up on the first floor landing too. Decor levels are high throughout (as are ceilings), with bespoke cabinetry for storage, the main family bathroom has a Jacuzzi bath and there are feature exposed stone walls externally as well as internally, some painted white.

There’s an original pine stairs, zoned oil heating, double glazing and a good C2 BER rating overall.

VERDICT: An old house, re-done to a level that guarantees its survival for another century or two.