Former Munster rugby player's home in historic setting for €775,000

The renovated home in Castleconnell has amazing features

Rock Lodge in Castleconnell, Limerick.

It was the castellated courtyard walls at Rock Lodge in Castleconnell that first caught the interest of former international rugby player Felix Jones and his partner Lyanne.

Searching online not for a house but an “a project”, they came across the long-abandoned and neglected Georgian house in 2014. Although it had been vandalised and even set on fire over the years, they were smitten with its castellated stonewalls, sash windows and period features and also with its history.

“It was from this prominent hillside site that General Ginkel blasted the walls of the castle in Castleconnell with cannon fire at the time of the siege of Limerick,” says Felix, explaining that there have been several stories associated with the house which dates from the 1790s.

One quite scandalous one, which he heard from several sources, was that it was built for a son born out of wedlock to a lady in waiting at the royal court and whose father was rumoured to have been a senior member of the royal family.

Digging a little into Rock Lodge’s history, Felix discovered that the architect who designed Castleconnell church once owned it and also that it was used as a military hospital during the war years.

Buying the property in 2015 for €95,000, the couple set out, very carefully to create a modern home for themselves and their children out of the 3,000 sq ft ruin. Working with a protected structure like this one, it was a major advantage that Felix’s father Alfred Jones is a conservation architect who was able to oversee the work.

“The roof was in decent condition and the castellated stone walls were in good order but the house didn’t have running water, plumbing or electricity and it needed replastering and major repairs,” says Felix, happy to have been able to restore a range of original features including architrave, windows and the marble fireplace in the drawing-room.

Restoring the original sash windows, which include some with gothic detail, was a major undertaking. “They were taken out one at a time to be restored and refitted – all 27 of them and after that all the doors were taken out and restored.”

Before the team of builders and specialist workers arrived, Felix and Lyanne started work on clearing the site themselves.

“We pulled down ivy and cleared away weeds and were delighted to discover that the courtyard alongside the house still had its original cobblestones.”

Quite a vast undertaking, the restoration work took around a year and a half and by the end of it, they had created a comfortable modern four-bed home and turned an adjoining lodge into a one-bed guest cottage. The final touch was to bring in a landscape architect to turn the one and a quarter acre site back into a garden.

The front drawing room with shuttered sash windows, picture rails and coving and marble fireplace is probably the room with the most period features. Although the blue-grey walls have been hung with portrait style painting and there is a stag’s head sculpture above the mantelpiece, the space now looks interestingly modern.

The room the owners like best is the more informal family room alongside the drawing room. At the rear, this opens out into a stylish modern kitchen, which in turn, opens out through bi-folding doors on to a patio enclosed by high stonewalls.

“The period features in this room include sash windows cornicing and picture rails while the kitchen is modern with a double-height ceiling. This is a huge space which marries the modern with the old really well and is where we spent most of our time.”

The off white kitchen units created by Des Coppins of Blackrock Kitchens in Dublin are linear and ultra contemporary with polished silestone countertops, pull out pantry units and a wine cooler.

The ground floor has an en suite bedroom while the three upstairs bedrooms include one very substantial one, which has both an en suite and a dressing room. At the top of the stairs is a strikingly modern black and white bathroom that acknowledges the property’s period heritage with a stand alone claw legged bath.

An original first-floor feature, which has survived the ravages of time and neglect, is the cornicing on the landing which has some leaf detailing and angels’ faces.

A glass corridor has now been added by the kitchen to connect the house to the guest cottage situated behind the castellated walls at one side. This has a modern bathroom, a stylish black and white kitchen/ living area and an upstairs bedroom.

Behind the high stonewalls are two enclosed courtyards, one by the kitchen at the rear and one at the front with cobblestones and fire pit with a built-in seating area crafted by a stonemason.

Adjacent to the courtyard is a long stone outbuilding which has a utility area and could be used for a variety of purposes.

The house, its two courtyards and outbuilding are encircled by a long driveway, beyond which there are lawned gardens sheltered at the boundary by mature trees.

Situated alongside a modern estate called Castlerock, Rock Lodge is 2km from Castleconnell village and around 14km from Limerick City.

Seeking offers of €775,000 for the property, Ailbhe O’Malley of Sherry FitzGerald says that with its space, scale, Georgian features and high spec modern fit out, that this is a magnificent family home.

Felix and Lyanne are selling because his coaching job with the South African rugby team involves a lot of travel and has necessitated a move to Dublin. “It’s hard to leave - it’s been a labour of love but we just weren’t there any more.”

• Verdict: An amazingly modern Georgian residence.
• Castleconnell, Co Limerick
• Price: €775,000
• Size: 296 sq m (3,186 sq ft)
• Bedrooms: 4 & 1
• Bathrooms: 3 & 1
• BER: Exempt