House of the week: Blackrock, Cork City, €695,000
No 5 in this niche, cul de sac park next to Menloe Gardens and the Rectory off the chi-chi Blackrock Road was bought in 2004 by Irish rugby legend (winner of an incredible Triple Crown and the Grand Slam in 1948 and capped many times for Ireland) Bertie O’Hanlon and his wife Phil when they decided to trade down from a larger home on extensive grounds on the Model Farm Road (seen in this 2004 file pic).
“At the time, we said ‘Dad, that’s not trading down, that’s trading across, for anyone else that’s a trade-up’,” recalls one of the couple’s five daughters, Jacqui, of their parents’ move to the detached 1,900 sq ft home: Mr O’Hanlon was 80 at the time.
The last link to that 1948 dream team, Bertie O’Hanlon passed away this autumn, having been pre-deceased in 2008 by his wife Phil “and they really loved being in Menloe, they had such lovely, warm and helpful neighbours,” say the appreciative family, whose rugby mantle has been passed on to two young grandsons living in the UK.
Known in later years for his insurance selling role in Standard Life, Mr O’Hanlon followed Irish rugby to the last.
And, what with the All Blacks-Ireland match last weekend, rugby in the ascendant and a bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, “hopefully he’s up there somewhere with Jim McCarthy, Karl Mullen, Jackie Kyle and the lads, watching the games and catching up on the news.”
News? Should Ireland be successful in that World Cup bid, the revamped €80m Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium will be in full voice, and it’s only a few minutes’ walk from the O’Hanlon home in Menloe Park – as are all of Blackrock and Ballintemple’s many amenities as well as the Marina, and much more.
Cork Con’s near, too, one of Bertie O’Hanlon’s former stomping grounds, after his family moved to Ballintemple from Mallow oh, about 80 years ago when he was aged 11.
Hot on the property news front is the arrival of this modern detached, five-bed home in this salubrious Blackrock address, certain to get a few sporting pulses racing.
It’s for sale via Sheila O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald, who guides the 1994-built family home at €675,000.
She says it’s in excellent order, has well-proportioned reception rooms, a full-south facing back garden with sun room, garden shed and sitting out area, off-street parking and lots of privacy (it’s the last house of just five in the park by Menloe Stores).
Menloe Park was built by Fitzgibbons in the 1990s, in part of the former grounds of the Rectory, a private period multi-million euro value home currently undergoing a dramatic renaissance with copper-clad extension, with a new private family sports/basketball court in view over the walls of Menloe Park.
For sporty buyers of No 5, the Blackrock area caters for all codes, including tennis on Church Road, rugby, hockey, rowing on the Lee and GAA.
Rooms within No 5 include an inter-connected living room and dining room, a compact family room/study to the front with gas fire, kitchen/breakfast room and five overhead bedrooms one en suite.
Overall condition is spotless, and new owners can just make decorative/tiling changes as and when they see fit.
No 5 Menloe Park joins two other Sherry FitzGerald nearby offers, as they’ve a four-bed semi in ‘old’ Menloe Gardens 100 yards away, needing full renewal and under offer at €420,000.
Across the road, they also have a detached Menloe Gardens home, done up a decade or so ago and west-facing at the back: it’s guiding €980,000 and awaits offers.
Finally, for those keen for the Blackrock Road location (it’s a favourite with Munster rugby types already, and it’s been setting all the city’s price records in recent years, ever-before Blackrock village’s plaza and pier renewal gets completed) a very good four-bed semi in ‘old’ Menloe Gardens is due for sale in coming days, due to feature here next week, guiding €650,000 via Irish and European.
Let the games commence.
: Hallowed bootsteps to follow in
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