A thoroughbred home: Cork's €2.75m Stonehill Stud sits on 68 acres with equestrian facilities
Creature comforts, for one and all, whether hoofed or well-heeled at this six-bed ranch-style home which comes with a mews, an apartment, and two-bed house, in Carrigaline
A thoroughbred property in many more ways than one, South Cork’s Stonehill is a couple’s dream delivered, thanks in the main to winning ways with thoroughbred horses, in racing and breeding circles, over many decades.
In fact, Stonehill Stud’s outer and earlier circles included names like jockey JP McCoy, trainer Liam Mullins, Tipperary’s Coolmore, as well as winning horses such as Vintage Tipple and Native Endurance.
Developed out of good farmland back more than a decade ago, the expansive Stonehill Stud is the cumulation of a life’s passion and eye for winners, grown itself to pedigree property status with unstinting investment by the late Pat O’Donovan and his wife Eilís.
The bricks and mortar, along with land and equestrian facilities as well as achievements of the duo feature here today as Stonehill comes for sale in one solid entity and lot, headed by the main 5,880 sq ft six-bed, all en suite almost-ranch style residence. Then, there are three more grouped dwellings in a courtyard cluster: a detached two bed house; a two bed mews and a two bed apartment, along with more than 20 large stable/boxes in several substantial farm/equestrian buildings, a breeder’s office/manager’s office, all on 68 acres of top farm land, including some forestry on a ridge.
And, it come with two access points — one down a long avenue off a minor country road, the other onto the Minane Road out of Carrigaline town itself.
What’s it worth?
Selling agent Michael Pigott who’s locally based in Carrigaline five minutes away, guides it at €2.75 million but says it should be worth far more if both taken as a series of parts, and as the sum of its parts.
Mr Pigott reckons the superb order house with unstinting spec and finishes has to be worth €1.5 million (and that’s at say €3,000 psm for its 547 sq m); land of this quality is making €25,000 to €30,000 an acre, he tots, and then there’s the amenity value/rental income scope for each of the three two-bed courtyard builds, capable he reckons of earing €2,000 a month if let.
Further, there’s the value in the stables/boxes, plus the other dedicated equine facilities, such as tack room, sand arena, staff kitchen/facilities and exercise set up, with paths among the post and railed paddocks.
Clearly, the O’Donovan’s knew their horses for courses.
They last appeared in these pages when they put a smaller equine facility called Summerfield up for sale, at Cummeen, adjacent to this Stonehill.
That was a luxuriously upgraded, farmhouse with 17 stables on 30 acres, offered at €1 million and sold at the time to a member of the Minane Bridge Coveney family dynasty, as into their horses as yachting.
Not unlike the O’Donovans, in fact, as this successful stud farm’s office walls are filled with Cork harbour sailing photography, alongwith dozens of photos showing wins and winners, such as the 2003 Irish Oaks winner Vintage Tipple, trained by Paddy Mullins, ridden to victory by Frankie Dettori.
Frankie Dettori jumps off Vintage Tipple after winning the Darley Irish Oakes at the Curragh. File photo: Adrian Melia, July 2003 Winning owner Patrick O'Donovan carries winning jockey Frankie Dettori to collect his prize after riding Vintage Tipple to victory in the Darley Irish Oakes at the Curragh. File photo: Adrian Melia, July 2003
Media coverage at the time recorded that the O’Donovans paid €16,000 to acquire Vintage Tipple at Goffs, and declined a €3m offer for her (more than the asking price for Stonehill Stud today!) before the 2003 ride to glory, later keeping her as a brood mare. Other top winning horses included 2003 Champion Bumper winner Liberman, the National Hunt mare Native Endurance, and other generations bred from Vintage Tipple.
Today, the horses have departed Stonehill, rather than bolting its dozens of stables, and it’s up to estate agent Michael Pigott to pick the winning bidder as he prepares to show the full range of property here: handily, Eilís keeps a covered golf buggy for getting around the 68 acres and thru’ ways.
Mr Pigott reckons interest may come from those who’ve sold land for development, Cork families who have a deep love of and interest in horses, other breeders, and some returning from overseas to live in Cork, near the sea and coastline, on the fringes of Carrigaline, as well as close to the city and its international airport, or about 25 minutes to and from Kinsale.
Proximity to all those hubs will matter, as will the privacy for many others, while the immaculate order not only of the main house but the three other two-beds is also a huge bonus for those who want a walk-in, canter-in expansive property and homestead, and extremely well-landscaped grounds.
Continuing the theme of generous open outdoor spaces, meanwhile, is the very open plan nature of the main house itself, with virtually all of the main ground floor open plan, spanning a vast and double height foyer, with dining room, high-end kitchen, and sitting room off, plus on the far side, a substantial drawing room is next to two large bedrooms, one a main suite with luxurious bathroom with freestanding jetted bath, more five-star in appointment than many leading hotels.
There’s also an office, bar and laundry/utility at ground, while the upper floor has four more en suite bedrooms and a lounge-size landing, under banks of Velux roof lights: there’s far more house under the roof, than one would ever expect, and creature comforts, for one and all, whether hoofed, well-shod or just well-heeled.
