€3m for classical Georgian entertainment venue

One of Dublin’s most exclusive venues for corporate entertainment, private parties and weddings is to be offered for sale later this month.

Number 10, Ormond Quay, a classical Georgian mansion beside the Morrison Hotel, will have a guide price of more than €3 million when a marketing campaign to find a buyer for it is launched in Ireland and overseas by Paul Collins of agents CBRE.

Structural work
Interestingly, the four-storey over basement property is to be sold as a "going concern" – complete with lavish furnishings, paintings, gilt mirrors and objets d'art.

Number 10 consistently attracted between 20 and 25 weddings a year and the limit set of four functions a week during the boom years –many of them run by overseas companies – and though business is still ticking over, owner John Lynch feels that the time is right to move on to his next venture.

He bought the house in 1996 from the Kenyon family who rescued it for their antique business. They carried out crucial structural work including the rebuilding of the top two floors. Lynch has been using that area as living accommodation, leaving the three lower floors in commercial use.

Much of the building’s integrity has been preserved and today it continues to reflect the superb qualities of the Georgian era – grace, elegance and space. For a house of its size – it has an overall floor area of 1,105sq m (11,900sq ft) – it is incredibly comfortable and warm. There is even a discreet lift servicing all floors.

Number 10 was designed for entertaining on a grand scale and apart from the stunning reception rooms at ground and first floor level, the main dining room – once used as a tie factory – can easily seat 70 guests.

Lynch has clearly spent a small fortune balancing authentic design with superb furnishings, many of them with historical significance. They include a stunning bookcase in the front hall which came from the Mannix family in Cork and is thought to have been a dowry piece for Archbishop Mannix as he entered Maynooth.

Constant demand
This is only one of a great number of gems – none grander than the seven fireplaces which cost in excess of €250,000.

The venue can accommodate a wide variety of events, from weddings and birthday parties to product launches and corporate conferences. Even in hard times, there is a constant demand for venues with a difference. Number 10 continues to impress.