City to Country: €545k Grand Canal apartment or escape from urban living with renovated church 

'To city, or church?' writes Trish Dromey

30 The Locks on Grand Canal Dock in Dublin 4

Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 4
€545,000
Size	60 sq m (645 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	D2

From the balcony of this sixth-floor apartment at 30 The Locks on Grand Canal Dock in Dublin 4, the views of the skyline and of boats on the water below are pretty impressive.

30 The Locks on Grand Canal Dock in Dublin 4

“It’s west-facing and has views across the waters of the Grand Canal Dock which is one of Dublin’s most sought-after city quarters,” says auctioneer Owen Reilly, noting that St Stephen’s Green, Ballsbridge, the IFSC and Sandymount are all within a 20-minute walk.

Situated on the top floor of the early 2000s-built complex, the apartment is small with just 60 sq m of living space but has an 11. 5-metre long terrace. Accommodation includes a timber-floored sitting/dining room as well as two bedrooms which all have floor-to-ceiling glazing and access to the terrace. Alongside the living room is a galley-style kitchen with a hatch and there is also a shower room.

Quoting a guide of €545,000, Mr O’Reilly says it’s a well-maintained apartment in a well-managed development and has until recently been owner-occupied.

Now he’s expecting it to sell to another owner occupier but thinks it could also appeal to buyers from outside the city or overseas ones looking for a base in Dublin.

“The location is excellent — with a host of amenities on the doorstep including the Marker Hotel, the iconic Grand Canal Theatre and the Dart station which provides easy access to the city centre,” Mr O’Reilly says.

VERDICT: Small, but central with water views.

Ardnacrusha, Co Clare
€485,000
Size	242 sq m (2,604 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	B3

The fact that the owners of this detached four-bed house at Ballyfinnan, Ardnacrusha in Clare called it The Fuaird, which means The Found, seems to be an indication that it gave them pretty much everything they wanted.

With 242 sq metres of modern living space and an acre of gardens with ample playing space, the 2007-built property does indeed seem well equipped for family living.

Since it’s located just seven km from Limerick city, it’s expected to look particularly attractive to buyers who want to move out of suburbia but stay within an easy commute.

“The setting is tranquil and picturesque and offers scenic views of the countryside and distant hills,” says Sean McGee of Sherry FitzGerald Limerick who is seeking offers of €485,000.

Accommodation includes a kitchen with timber units as well as a large sitting room which has a red brick fireplace with a stove and a sunroom section used as a dining space.

There’s also a playroom/study, a utility room, a guest WC, and an en suite bedroom.

The upper level has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one with an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe.

In the acre of gardens that surround The Fuaird, there are lawns and also a patio, a stone boundary wall at the front and a sloped bank at one side which has been planted to provide colour in every season.

VERDICT: A trading-up family in Limerick city may also consider this a find.

Clonegal, Co Carlow
€595,000
Size	134 sq m (1,442 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	Exempt

Options to live differently in a rural location include this stylishly renovated former Wesleyan church near Clonegal village in Carlow.

Bought as a derelict wreck in the 1990s by a Dublin couple who spent eight years working on it, it’s now a two-bed home with immense character and attractive gardens that have stone walls, a sheltered courtyard, and a spreading chestnut tree.

Built in the 1830s and closed as a church by the end of the 19th century, the property has gothic windows, beamed ceilings, and exposed stone walls as well as all modern comforts and conveniences.

“It’s on a site of a quarter of an acre, has 134 sq metres of living space and is utterly charming,’’ says Charlie McDermott of Sherry FitzGerald McDermott who has just reduced the price by €90,000 to €595,000.

The gothic-style front door opens into a sitting room with a stove which is open plan with a kitchen dining room beyond. There’s also a guest WC, a small utility room and a snug/TV room could be used as a third bedroom.

The upper level has a galleried landing as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom.

To the rear there’s a courtyard as well as a garden enclosed by stone walls and steps leading up to a lawned area where the owners have built a small, gothic-style greenhouse.

VERDICT: Turning a church into a home can’t have been easy but the owners have succeeded beautifully.

Ballinacourty, Co Limerick
€575,000
Size	192 sq m (2,066 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	C3

Creevea Lodge at Ballinacourty near Castleconnell village in Limerick looks nothing like the 1960s bungalow it used to be.

“The owners who bought it ten years ago have redesigned, reconfigured and upgraded — it’s now an ultra-modern four-bed home with 192 sq metres of accommodation,” Paul O’Brien of Chesser Auctioneers reveals, quoting a guide of €575,000.

Offering good space for a family, it has two sitting rooms including one at the front with a vaulted ceiling and another smaller one overlooking the garden at the rear. In the centre at the front there’s a long dining room decorated boldly in deep blue and, at the rear, a spacious contemporary kitchen-diner with white high gloss units.

The property has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite and, on the upper level, a laundry room as well as a spacious master bedroom with a dressing room and an en suite.

Creeva Lodge has a gravelled area with a garage at the front and a covered patio and a well-kept lawned garden at the rear.

Noting that it’s within a short drive from Limerick city and the University of Limerick, as well as close to schools and amenities in Castleconnell village, Mr O’Brien expects it to attract trade up buyers from the city.

VERDICT: Attractive, spacious, modern and a little quirky.