Buyers looking for a taste of the traditional rectory life have lots to choose from, writes Fiona Tyrrell

Buyers looking for a taste of the old rectory life will be tempted by a number of fine properties with religious connections on the market.

A solid Victorian presbytery in the heart of Co Limerick for sale through ERA Liston Auctioneers has an asking price of €1.2 million.

St Joseph's, The Old Presbytery House, Kilcolman, Ardagh, is 15 minutes from Adare and 23 miles from Limerick city.

Built in 1872 as a priest's house with an adjoining chapel, St Joseph's is set on seven acres of beautifully landscaped gardens.

The current owners bought the former presbytery in 1990 and significantly remodelled and renovated it, transforming it into a beautifully presented family home.

Accommodation is spread over 297sq m (3,200sq ft) and includes four bedrooms, family room, drawing room and a modern kitchen with Aga leading to a conservatory.

The former chapel, attached to the house, is now a charming library with vaulted ceilings.

Stone buildings to the rear of the main house incorporate a self-contained two-bedroom guest apartment and a home office.

In the heart of Limerick hunt country, St Joseph's is within striking distance of lots of great golf courses.

In the east of the country, The Rectory, Rathaspeck, is a fine 19th century country home on two acres of mature grounds opposite Johnstown Castle and 2.5 miles outside Wexford Town.

The ivy-clad former rectory comes to the market through Wexford agent Raymond Corish and carries a price tag of €1.1 million.

The main residence is spread over 214sq m (2,300sq ft) and contains lots of charming period detail.

Accommodation includes two reception rooms, a study, a fitted kitchen with Stanley range and four bedrooms.

Remodelled in the last five years it comes to the market in good condition.

The house also comes with a two-bedroom 72sq m (770sq ft) guest apartment and a recently built 115sq m (1,200sq ft) workshop.

The asking price for an attractive five-bedroom rectory built for the Farnham Estate in Co Cavan is €590,000.

The Manse is one mile from the village of Ballyjamesduff, close to Virginia and 15 miles from Cavan town.

It's for sale by private treaty through Hamilton Osborne King. The 186sq m (2,000sq ft) property has been thoroughly refurbished and extended in recent years and comes to the market in walk-in condition with many of the original features intact.

Accommodation includes three reception rooms, a games room and a large modern kitchen. To the rear of the main house is a complex of three apartments.

The well-tended grounds include a recently laid hardtop tennis court and lawns.

Buyers looking for something on a larger scale may be tempted by Rathcline House in Lanesboro, Co Longford.

A substantial lakeside country home set on 112 acres of parkland, Rathcline House was built in the second half of the 19th century and was once used as a convent and was later run as a country house hotel.

It comes to the market through Colliers Jackson-Stops and has a price tag of €2.8 million.

A major selling point is its superb location with frontage to Lough Ree, part of the Shannon waterway system, and views over Rathcline Castle, which forms part of the grounds.

The main house has over 697sq m (7,500sq ft) of living space.

Accommodation includes seven bedrooms, three reception rooms, study and games room. While it is in good structural condition, new owners are likely to remodel and update the house.

A separate bungalow on the grounds has five bedrooms and there are equestrian facilities.