Acme Blinds owner's €850k Crosshaven home overlooking Cork Harbour comes to market

Spacious five-bedroom home with rich history, harbour views and prime location near sailing amenities attracts strong buyer interest

Dolphin Lodge, Crosshaven. Pictures: H-Pix

Crosshaven, Co Cork
€850,000
Size	271sq m (2,917sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	4
BER	D2

SOME homes don’t need much introduction: Dolphin Lodge is one of them. Instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the village of Crosshaven, it’s one of those quietly admired properties where you’d love to see beyond the hall door.

The ex-British army Colonel that built it in the 1950s — a Colonel Head — had a soldier’s instinct for site selection: Like any good officer, he chose a spot with commanding views. From the windows of his home he had direct line of sight to the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC), the Owenabue River, the green canopy of Currabinny Woods, and further out, towards Camden and Cork Harbour. 

The Colonel stayed put until the 1960s and after that, the house changed hands a couple of times until Enda Power, daughter of the local garda sergeant, Nicholas, and his wife Louise, bought it with her husband Bill Walsh in 1978. The couple significantly extended and remodelled the house interior in 1979 and again in 1984, adding patios, balconies, extended garden areas, and improved outdoor access.

Both Bill and Enda came from entreprenuerial families: Enda’s family ran the local grocer/haberdashery/hardware shop, ‘Power’s’, where you could buy — and can still buy — “anything from a needle to an anchor”, while Bill’s father Robert had a number of Cork City pubs, including the Pier Head in Blackrock. The sixth of 16 children, he left school early and became a shipping clerk, with the Clyde Shipping Company, before striking out on his own. A “serial entrepreneur and optimist”, says his daughter, he eventually settled on manufacturing blinds, which would prove the acme of his career, as it evolved into Acme Blinds, which his son Nick took over in the late 1990s and which remains a successful business today.

Along the way, the busy couple — who met at a dance in the Grand Hotel in Crosshaven and ended up married for 62 years — developed a passion for sailing and life on the high seas. One memorable trip was on board a yacht that sailed to Spain, across the Bay of Biscay, at the invitation of Stanley Roche, a scion of the family that founded Roches Stores. Bill later competed in sailing — he set up the Cork-Jersey Race — and went on to serve as Admiral of the RCYC in the early 1980s.

Given their love of sailing, their proximity to the RCYC was a godsend — as it would be for any family of enthusiast sailors.

“The kids could literally cross the road to the yacht club,” says Lawrence Sweeney of Savills, who is handling the sale of Dolphin Lodge.

Bill and Enda had five kids, easily accommodated as the house expanded and it was “a busy and full household with a warm welcome”, put to good use by its owners who were great hosts.

“It’s quite big, nearly 3,000 sq ft, and with five double bedrooms, it could easily accommodate a family with half a dozen kids,” Mr Sweeney says.

The 0.6-acre gardens — surrounded by woodland and bamboo — were perfect for cultivating food for the family. Bill grew salad leaves, herbs, runner beans, and potatoes, which often ended up in Enda’s famous soups. 

New owners could continue the tradition or simply relax, soaking up the panoramic views from multiple vantage points: the open-plan kitchen/ dining room, the study/ music room, or the dedicated viewing room off the principal en suite bedroom. Truly, who needs blinds with that calibre of outlook?

Views from open plan kitchen/dining

Views from the study

Views from the viewing room off the main bedroom

Dolphin Lodge has long been synonymous with “much fun and hospitality”, says the couple’s daughter, but as both Enda and Bill are now deceased, the property is up for sale — and already attracting international interest.

“There’s loads of interest, a couple of enquiries from the USA, along with Irish interest too,” says Mr Sweeney, adding he expects returning expats to feature also, as well as families looking to trade up out of Carrigaline or within Crosshaven itself.

Living space is at a premium at Dolphin Lodge. As well as the open plan kitchen/dining room and study, there’s a cosy sitting room with charming stove that leads into a bright conservatory with garden access (and a vine that produces grapes in autumn), while to the rear is a large living room with garden views. 

Vine growing in the conservatory

A detached double garage to the rear has workshop potential.

The house overlooks the popular scenic amenity walking and cycle path, which runs along the original Crosshaven railway track towards Carrigaline. In fact Dolphin Lodge — positioned above the redbrick Gate Lodge leading to former Hoddersfield Estate — backs onto a site where two remaining large redbrick pillars that supported the railway bridge still exist. The last train to Crosshaven ran across this valley in 1932.

The house also overlooks the marinas and boat-launching spots of the RCYC — indeed Bill and Enda “revelled in the location and the spectacular views”. Their boat, the Carrigdoun, was berthed on the RCYC marina and could be seen from their kitchen table and bedroom window.

The guide price for this characterful and superbly sited home — just 6km from Carrigaline and 16km from Cork City — is €850,000.

VERDICT: A spacious, inviting, family home on a smashing site, within hailing distance of the RCYC. Perfect for a family of mariners or for anyone drawn to the water.