Game on for perfect cottage in Adare

Trish Dromey admires this extensive home which has been crafted around a lovely 19th century home in Adare

Adare, Co Limerick - €750,000

• Size: 230 sq m (2,475 sq ft)
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3
• BER: Exempt

It’s not just the plants in the grounds of the gamekeeper’s cottage in Adare that have grown — the once tiny stone-built property has now become a sprawling and attractive four-bed home with a conservatory.

Like a huge number of cottages and buildings in the picture postcard village , it was built by Lord Dunraven of Adare Manor during the 19th Century.

It was owned until the late 1970s by the gamekeeper of the estate, Maurice Moloney.

At that point, the cottage and its three-quarters of an acre site, sheltered behind high stone walls on the Rathkeale Road, was purchased by two sisters who made major changes to the property, but continued to call it Moloney Cottage after its previous owner.

Now, bringing the extended cottage to market with a guide of €750,000, selling agents Sherry FitzGerald Limerick say that the association between this property and Adare Manor might continue if it is bought by a someone who comes to golf at the newly- designed Adare Manor Golf Club.

Extended to over 2400 sq ft by the sisters who bought it for their retirement, the property has been beautifully looked after, but the décor is now showing its age and a new owner will most certainly be giving it a 21st century makeover.

Designed by a Limerick architect, the extensions makes extensive use of roof lights and also includes a large conservatory at the front.

“There weren’t many sunrooms in houses being built in the 1970s — the architect was ahead of his time,” says the current owner, the sisters’ nephew.

The wrap-around extension, single storey at the side and two storey at the rear probably increased the size of the property by at least a factor of four. It didn’t disturb the façade of the original gatekeeper’s cottage, and its stonework can be seen behind the glass walls of the conservatory.

The entire ground floor of the original cottage has been turned into a carpeted drawing room with a fireplace.

A doorway at the rear connects it to a kitchen/dining living area in the extension, which has cream kitchen units. Auctioneer Frank Lyddy points out that this type of open plan space was quite rare for the 1970s.

The extension provided space for utility room, a bathroom, and a boot room at the rear, as well as a central hallway and two bedrooms and a bathroom at the side.

The first floor has a bedroom and a bathroom in the extended part, and another bedroom in the original cottage.

Enclosed by high stone walls that were once part of the estate, are beautifully mature gardens with lawns, trees, and a whole host of shrubs and colourful flowers.

The sisters were very keen gardeners who put in a greenhouse and a vegetable garden.

To the rear outside the kitchen is a patio enclosed by a low stone wall which offered them a second option besides the conservatory to sit out and enjoy their gardens.

It is the gardens, all three quarters of an acre of them, which could now prove to be the strongest selling point for Moloney Cottage.

“It’s very rare to find a property with this size site within a short walk from Adare Village,” said Mr Lyddy.

Early interest is coming from locals who are attracted by its proximity to Adare and also by its site size.

However, Mr Lyddy believes that this is exactly the type of property to appeal to Americans coming to golf at the Adare Manor Golf Club.

“We expect the very highest levels of interest in this extraordinary home, which is unlikely to change hands again for some time.”

VERDICT: Hugely attractive to both gardeners and golfers.