A Highland(s) fling could bag you cracking harbour views in Glounthaune for €575k

No 2 Ballynaroon, The Highlands, is prime family fare on a prime site

Sat, 22 Oct, 2022 - 12:00

Catherine Shanahan

Glounthaune, Cork
€575,000
Size	218 sq m (2347 sq ft
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	E2

BACK in the late ‘70s, five families had the good fortune to secure their household’s future when each succeeded in buying a prime south-facing site on a hillside in Glounthaune.

They bought off the plans and the same builder built all five houses, cleverly staggering their position on each of the five sites, so that no home really overlooked another and privacy was at a premium for all concerned.

He built big too, well over 2,000 sq ft per house, on 0.3 acres each of land. The key attraction though was the sweeping harbour view, East towards Fota Island and West, right down to where the estuary opens up at Ringaskiddy. The families that moved to Ballynaroon in The Highlands, Glounthaune, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s knew they’d secured a home for life.

So it was at No 2 Ballynaroon where the newly-appointed deputy manager of Aghada Power Station arrived with his young family following a promotion, having worked with the ESB in Naas, Co Kildare.

“I was two-and-a-half at the time and we moved because my dad’s job changed. My parents bought off the plans,” says the late owner’s daughter.

A couple of years later, her mother got a job as a French lecturer in CIT (now MTU).

“I remember Dad went East for his job and mum went West, and the house was perfectly located for their journeys,” she adds.

At the time the houses were built, Ballynaroon was considered a very modern development and the vendor remembers her Dad paid in the region of £30,000IRL-£35,000IRL for their home. She also remembers her father mentioning the sky-high interest rate of 16.8%, which seems inconceivable now, even in the light of current interest rate hikes.

The vendor’s mother was a woman who took pride in her home and she had her work cut out for her as she tussled with six children who sent footballs and tennis balls through windows at regular intervals.

Her mother was also diligent about regular upgrades and had a good eye for interior design, changing the kitchen three or four times over five decades.

She also refreshed décor, converting a garage into a large utility space, upgrading the patio areas (one for the morning sun, one for the evening) and maintaining everything with great care so that the 2,347 sq ft house is still quite fresh inside.

She also did phenomenal work in the garden with her husband and the site bears the fruits of their labours, handsomely planted with mature trees and shrubs.

The vendor says some of her best memories are connected to the garden where she and her siblings played Tip the Can and Hide and Seek, and where summers seemed longer and birdsong sweeter.

She recalls with real fondness how the house looked at Christmas, when her mum pulled out all the stops. And she remembers "the spectacular light" thanks to the site's orientation.

The neighbours were great, the vendor adds, and in fact hers is the first of the five families to sell up at Ballynaroon, and they are doing so with heavy heart, now that their parents have sadly passed.

“We debated whether to keep it in the family, but we are all dispersed around the globe now, and it’s not a holiday home. We had five very happy decades there and we want to see a new family get the same out of it” the vendor says.

Karl O’Reilly and Michael O’Donovan of Savills are the selling agents for No 2 and given the size and the guide price of €575,000, they’re expecting interest from families seeking to trade up. Accommodation is at a premium with a good selection of reception rooms and five bedrooms and the area is well served by schools and public transport.

VERDICT: Splendidly located family home.