A stately country house and stud farm on 165 acres in Co Kildare is made for people who want to live the good life, says Michael Parsons
All sports have their hallowed grounds and, for the international bloodstock crowd, the Elysian fields are to be found at three main locations: Lexington in Kentucky, Newmarket on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border and our very own Co Kildare.
When properties in this thoroughbred triangle come up for sale the horse whisperers quickly spread the word.
Ballintaggart House and stud farm on 165 acres at Colbinstown, Co Kildare, is on the market for sale by private treaty. The joint agents, HOK Country in Dublin and Knight Frank in London, will auction the property on June 28th.
A guide price of €13 million should sort out the men from the boys.
The sale should create a worldwide whinny of interest with potential buyers, whether breakfasting at the K Club's 19th hole or sipping mint tea at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai - already studying the form.
Ballintaggart is located in the most desirable area of Kildare. Forget the dreary flatlands of the Curragh and think rolling hills, Tolkienesque woodland teeming with pheasant and grouse and sweeping views into mystical Wicklow.
With fields so deeply green and lushly prime they'd drive the Bull McCabe to strong drink.
The land is devoted to a mix of stud farming and traditional agriculture with a mix of tillage and superior grassland.
The principal house (there are a few) is 652sq m (7,000sq ft) of 18th century Gothic-revival with later additions. Above the grand entrance, a family crest and motto are carved in stone.
A call to Dr Monica Gale at Trinity College's Classics Department confirmed that the grammatically odd Vitam Duce Bonam - a word play incorporating Bonham, the name of a previous owner - can be translated satisfactorily as Live A Good Life.
And the good life can certainly be enjoyed here. An imposing reception hall is pure Balmoral and designed for significant family occasions.
A stately drawingroom features a lovely Italian marble fireplace rescued from the old St Vincent's Hospital on Leeson Street and the diningroom, which can seat 14, has direct access to a wine cellar. A billiards room might be better employed as a salon for very grand soirées.
Upstairs, all nine bedrooms are spacious and a vast, well-lit loft has a grown-up 6'9" ceiling useful for games, or as a holding pen for the family black sheep during parties.
The walls throughout the house are decorated with a vibrant mix of colours, helping to lighten the otherwise masculine tone of the house.
A Doolin slate terrace off the drawingroom, also accessible from the kitchen/casual dining area, has views over paddocks on which future Derby winners graze.
The walled Victorian garden has its own gardener's apartment (in need of renovation) and there's also a walled tennis court.
Behind the house, a cobbled yard leads to extensive outhouses and stabling with 28 loose boxes.
Staff accommodation includes an achingly nostalgic steward's house in cut-stone, a classic gate-lodge and a delightfully secluded, fully restored gamekeeper's cottage where Milady could discreetly install Mellors.
• For a virtual tour of this property, click on nicemove.ie
