€365k Fermoy classic is home to history and a vibrant musical heritage

If you're looking for a property with a bit of song and dance in its bones, this Fermoy townhouse is bound to hit all the right notes

11 O'Rahilly Row, Fermoy, Co. Cork

Fermoy, Co Cork
€365,000
Size	179sq m (1,927sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	2
BER	Exempt

Neighbours might quake a bit if they saw the entire cast of a musical arriving at your house for a rehearsal — but with sturdy 200-year-old walls there could be no cause for complaint.

And the visitors and residents at 11 O’Rahilly Row in Fermoy were a tuneful lot for sure anyway so probably could have charged a fee if anyone had been able to hear them outside the terraced house.

The five-bed property was bought in 1973 by the now late William Mulcahy and Bernadette (née Young). They reared their two children here and regularly used the home as a base for musical groups.

Fermoy Musical Society in 1926

“It was a house full of song. As a student, I was musical director of the Fermoy Musical Society, of which my great aunt Lily Young and great uncle William Young, were founder members. We regularly held ensemble rehearsals in the front room for up to 30 people. The entire cast of the Royal Palace of The King & I, or the Pontevedrian Embassy ball from The Merry Widow, would all convene in number 11, once we’d pushed the furniture back,” recalls daughter Mary Mulcahy.

Cllr Frank O'Flynn, county mayor with Tom Beresford, president Conor Nelligan, County Heritage Officer; Katherine Keane, vice president and book editor and Jackie Creed, committee at the 100th celebration of Fermoy Musical Society. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“My mother also rehearsed her award-winning ICA ballad group and Feis Maitiú choirs there.”

As if that wasn’t excitement enough a press photographer turned up on one occasion to get a shot of Mary as she was heading off as part of a group to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland in 1989 (while still a student with exams to do).

(Just for Eurovision buffs... the group was Kiev Connolly and The Missing Passengers and they sang 'The Real Me'.)

Kiev Connolly and Mary Mulcahy performing 'The Real Me' during the Eurovision Song Contest. Cork Examiner Monday, May 8, 1989 

More senior readers may still know the address as Walker’s Row as it was originally named for the Walker family who were prominent brewers and whiskey distillers in Fermoy. The street was later named to honour ‘The O’Rahilly’, Michael Joseph O’Rahilly a key founder of the Irish Volunteers who was killed in the 1916 Easter Rising.

Before the Mulcahy family bought it, the house had previously been owned by a bank and used to house bank managers.

The Mulcahys kept a lot of the original features of this home — the original flooring in many rooms and all the old doors.

There are some beautiful details such as the fretwork arch in the hallway, timber sliding sash windows, a front door fanlight, cornices and ceiling roses, and the old style fireplaces throughout.

“As children, we hoped to find secret passages and maybe treasure, but alas, none were found. We did uncover the lovely fireplace upstairs which had been panelled over probably to prevent draughts a long time ago but the house has central heating now so we were able to open it up,” explains Mary.

The house had plenty other features to delight children — and indeed potential buyers now. There’s a two-storey detached coach house at the back, accessed via the double doors on the left hand side.

“This coach house gives great opportunity for further development, and more accommodation or a home office etc,” notes auctioneer Paul O’Driscoll.

Beyond this building is a large, elevated south-facing garden accessed by steps and fully enclosed with natural stone walls. “The garden is very secluded — there are farmlands beyond it so you can sometimes hear cows and horses, it’s lovely and quiet but you have the town to the front.”

There is a stairs leading to one annex bedroom and the other four bedrooms are up the main stairs.

Guided at €365k, it’s a house with great character in a fantastic location points out Mr O’Driscoll: “This is likely to be a family home again but you do have potential to have a business in part of it as you have solicitors, accountants, a physiotherapy clinic and other offices based in the row.”

VERDICT: A solid main street Fermoy property only 400m from the local SuperValu. The house has plenty old style charm and extra features including a coach house — likely to strike a chord with lots of potential buyers.