Trading Up: Castlepark, Mallow, €340,000

Mallow-based developer John Barry of Castlelands grew to be one of Munster’s most prolific and ambitious house builders in the 2000s, with a sizeable fall from the heights when the crash came. 

But, what he built, he did well, to a higher specification generally too than many of his Cork competitors, and he made sure to keep standards up, particularly in his home town, where he was a major benefactor of the local GAA club among other causes.

And, holding up well since are John Barry’s houses in schemes like Castlepark, Mallow, within a walk of the town (and the castle) by St Joseph’s Road.