Waterfront Cuskinny Estate could be one of Munster coastline's great escapes, for hospitality or private retreat

Period Great Island Co Cork home on up to 142 acres is jewel-set and a property prize with €2m price guide, or €4m all-in

Cork Harbour's Cuskinny House Estate has 800m water frontage just east of Cobh town by the nature reserve

A COMMERICAL/hospitality use could be on the horizon for one of Cork harbour’s best-pitched great estates, Cuskinny House, just to the east of the tourism and cruise ship heritage town of Cobh.

Luxury cruise liner 'Deutschland' lies moored at Cobh Cruise Terminal this May. Pic: Andy Gibson.

The 142-acre Great Island estate, with 800m of frontage to Cork harbour and exceptional woodland and exotic gardens, has been in the same hands since 1805.

Cuskinny House has 10,000 sq ft in the main house, plus several other houses and farm land, offered in lots

It is now being sold by the Ronan family, direct descendants of the original 19th century owners, the Frenchs: it is launched at €4m all-in with joint agents, Michael H Daniels, and Knight Frank’s Guy Craigie, or from €2m for the main waterside block with period house, and gardens on 37 acres.

Walled garden part of the package

Facing south to the mouth of Cork harbour, the magnificent Cuskinny House Estate comes publicly up for sale in various lots or the entire, including the 10,000 sq ft private residence with courtyard; a gate lodge; farm cottage and two courtyard apartments, as lot one, as well as farmland in two other lots, Upper Farm (25 acres) and Lower Farm (80 acres).

House faces south to the sea and mouth of Cork harbour

Set between the two farm lots is the 21- acre Cuskinny Nature Reserve, also largely owned by the Ronan family and home to the annual RTÉ May live broadcast Dawn Chorus for the past 30 years and now with an international reputation for its fauna flora and rich bird life.

Water access at many points

The marshy nature reserve, created when a causeway was built across Cuskinny in the 19th century by the Frenchs, is not being sold as part of the estate, with the Ronan family making it available to a charity/foundation into the future. It has been managed by Birdwatch Ireland for a number of years, and has a section upriver co-owned by another local family.

Going for a song? Cuskinny  Estate adjoins  a public beach and nature reserve, the centre of RTE's annual, award-winning 'Dawn Chorus'  live birdsong broadcast

Although primarily pitched for sale as a private coastal estate, complete with top-quality formal and woodland gardens, walled kitchen garden, boathouse, dry dock and its own beach, it’s also prime for sensitive development of a discrete and bespoke hotel estate, or high-end luxury retreat to rent, along the lines of Cork’s LissArd, near Skibbereen, Ballinacurra, near Kinsale, Ballinatray, in Waterford, InisBeg, near Baltimore, or Dromquinna Manor, on the Ring of Kerry.

Courtyard

There’s already local interest in the farm land, primarily in the 80-acre Upper Farm holding, according to joint selling agent Mr Daniels, with this 80 acres able to be taken separately without impacting the integrity of the main house and grounds. This lot has a €1.5m price, or just under €20,000 an acre, and has been rented out to a local farmer for a number of years. It’s in seven divisions, with farmyard, modern cattle shed, and derelict house.

Side view

The middle 25 acres have a €500,000 AMV, so roughly the same price per acre. This land is in three divisions, with derelict cottage, and may have development potential, according to Knight Frank/Ml Daniels.

If the two land lots are sold individually, it puts the main prize, the late Georgian residence, courtyard, four other houses, gardens, beach and boathouse in with a far wider prospect of potential buyers, who’ll need funds for spending on the main house, and maintenance of the grounds.

This main lot, on 37 acres with about 22 described as gardens, approached by a luscious long avenue fringed by the sea, has a €2m price guide. There has been a residence at Cuskinny for over 500 years, but the current house is dated to early 19th century, gifted to a Savage French in 1805 upon his wedding: the French family were extensive landlords, land agents, and members include a Cork lord mayor and district lieutenant.

Interior

Ownership passed to Wanda Goolden in 1950, left to her by her uncle and godfather, Hugh French, and she married Cork lawyer John Ronan in 1952, co-founder of what’s now leading commercial law firm Ronan Daly Jermyn. Cuskinny was lived in by Mrs Wanda Ronan until her recent death, aged 101.

Boathouse

Cuskinny’s gardens were frequently y opened to the public as charity fundraisers: the late John Ronan added extensively to the exceptional plant selection via his friendship with the late Ambrose Congreve, of Waterford’s Mount Congreve Estate, now in OPW care.

Entranced

Early designs were by architects J & GR Pain, but most credit is given to architect Henry Hill for the three-bay, late Georgian element facing the sea: the house, with six principal bedrooms, three reception rooms and inner and outer halls, plus numerous back rooms and attic rooms, is in sound overall condition for its age, but now needs considerable investment and upgrades for whatever new use it finds.

DETAILS: [e-mail], 025-31023; [e-mail] 01-2374532