Cork home of the late Dr Tom Cavanagh, champion of litter-free streets, is on the market for €450k

Delightful gardens are part of the package at handsome Rathcairn, just outside Fermoy

Rathcairn, Cork Road, Fermoy

Fermoy, Co Cork
€450,000-
Size	238 sq m (2,560 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	Pending

CHARITY begins at home, as the saying goes, and you’d have to think it was an ideology the owner of this Fermoy house lived his life by.

You’d have to think too that there’s good karma at the Cavanagh home, as the man who built it was not only a serial donor to multiple charities, he also single-handedly spearheaded a national drive to rid our streets of rubbish through his Irish Business Against Litter campaign.

Dr Tom Cavanagh, who passed away last year, was also a phenomenal businessman, who served as managing director of the family business, the Fermoy-based Cavanagh motor group, while also serving as chair of Lifford Holdings, a director of Allied Irish Banks, chairman of FNQ properties and Conrad Hotels.

He excelled at sports too and was named the best sports all-rounder at his alma mater, UCC on three occasions. A man with a deep belief in the empowering force of education, he was a member of the UCC governing body, a director of Cork University Foundation and a generous donor to the university. 

Dr Tom Cavanagh on the bridge named in his honour

 In 2006, UCC honoured him by naming its new pharmacy building after him and in 2018, a pedestrian bridge in UCC's grounds was given his name too.

Given his legacy, new owners of his Cork Road home might be tempted to name it after him, (Tigh an Chaomhánach?) or they might be quite content to settle for its current name, Rathcairn. They’ll definitely be quite content with the half acre of beautifully landscaped, mature gardens, which face south west to the rear and are enclosed on all sides by tall trees and hedging.

Rathcairn was designed by a Dublin-based architect, K Kavanagh of Mozart Street, and was built in 1957 by a friend of the Cavanagh family, a builder called Michael Pine. Three decades later (c1990), it was extended by a local builder, Michael O’Doherty, and the upshot of that extension was a very large open-plan living room that runs the depth of the house.

Living room

 Overhead, a very large main bedroom was added,  with a generous ensuite and dressing room.

The house is a fine size, 2,560 sq ft, with a good selection of downstairs rooms. In addition to the large living room with bay window and door to the rear patio and garden, there’s a sitting room which is open to the dining room, via an arch. 

There's a kitchen, utility room and guest WC on the ground floor too and a large sunroom juts out into the garden.

The garden has been superbly maintained by a gardener over the years and is up a tier from the back of the house. A large, circular patio catches the sun and there's more seating in other parts of the garden. 

Low stone walls hold raised flower beds and the level and type of planting ensures great privacy. 

Selling agent Michael O’Donovan of Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan describes the gardens as “an oasis of colour, really well landscaped, with lovely stone walls”.

To the front, Rathcairn looks across the Cork Road towards St Colman’s College playing fields, another green oasis, with no fear of any residential development.

Mr O’Donovan says the  four-bed detached home is ideal for family and only a minute’s walk from both primary and secondary schools.

“It’s an easy walk too to local woodland and the Blackwater river, or into Fermoy town,” he adds, “while still just a half hour drive from Cork City and two hours from Dublin, as it’s just off the M8 motorway.” The house has been well maintained – a decorative refresh is probably on the cards for new owners – but it’s a fine, solid home, bright and airy, in a very accessible location, within a convenient distance of Fermoy town, set in grounds that took years to get to the level they are at, but with all the heavy lifting done for the next set of occupants.

Mr O’Donovan, who has set a guide price of €450,000, says it’s “an exceptional family home” and he’s expecting keen interest from families looking to trade up. It may appeal too to well-financed first-time buyers. The commute to Cork City is very do-able and it’s a house with plenty of room to work from home.

VERDICT: Fine home, fabulous gardens, good access to motorway and to Fermoy town.