A house on three acres close to Howth summit has to be one of the best properties to come on the market in recent years in Dublin. Those who live under the open skies and among the ancient rugged fields out here have always had one up on southsiders because they enjoy a glorious southerly orientation that delivers day-long sunshine, while opposite, in Dalkey and Killiney, only the morning sun shines on the coastal side.
And Long Acre on Thormanby Road has one of the best aspects there is. For sale through auctioneer Michael Turley of Turley Property Advisors for €2.6 million, its location in a special amenity area means it can’t be colonised for development purposes either. So just one lucky resident will avail of this green swathe that slopes gently down towards the famous Baily Lighthouse at the end of the peninsula. Beyond is the Irish sea and her busy comings and goings.
The house, which was one of the first built on the southern side of the summit in the 1920s, was once a fine family home but, as with many houses of its era, its layout ignores completely the amazing sea vista beyond. It has seen better days, and whoever buys Long Acre will most likely start again from scratch.
0 of 3
Inspiration
They won't have far to look for inspiration as this area is something of a haven for Dublin's more affluent denizens. Two doors down is the vast Hamptons-style mansion of Moya Doherty and John McColgan. The Riverdance estate also includes a cliff-hanging guesthouse and another small bungalow. Next door, on the left side of Long Acre, German owners have recently built an ultra-modern glazed house that takes full advantage of the setting. The house on the right is the former family home of Gay Byrne and Kathleen Watkins, and it's due to be replaced shortly with another flat-roofed 5,000-plus sq ft property.
A stone's throw further are the family homes of the Houlihans of the DID electrical empire and the "if-it-swims- we-have-it" Wrights of Howth. the Baily lighthouse itself is still run by the Irish Lights Commission, but it is currently leased by a small tech company, D4H Technologies, whose innovative website features round- the-clock sea views from the lighthouse.
Unholy row
The house, which was built in 1921 by Michael Lacey, a well-known Howth builder, was originally a bungalow, but had a storey added when it was purchased in 1971 by the late Tom and Mrs Alacoque Margaret McDonald. McDonald owned the famous Big Tree pub on Dorset St for many years until he sold it in 1994. His daughter Margaret, who with brother Ross now lives abroad, remembers well the move to Long Acre and how they very nearly didn’t make it.
The story goes that in 1971 their father was in the area and noticed a bungalow for sale. Over a cup of tea with the owner of Long Acre he agreed to buy it. However he neglected to pass on this vital information to their mother who at this point was happily ensconced in the family home in Clontarf.
The truth only emerged when the selling agent rang the house shortly afterwards to discuss details. When Mrs McDonald suggested he was through to the wrong McDonalds since they weren’t currently viewing any house in Howth, he insisted, “No you’ve bought it.” Margaret, who was four at the time, remembers an unholy row breaking out, and her mother not speaking to her father for a week when he refused to go back on his word with the owner of Long Acre.
Months of work and expense went into preparing the house including the addition of a further two bedrooms upstairs, one with a very swish-for-its- time en suite with a double sink. Apparently the builders told Gay Byrne next door that the McDonalds must be loaded because the new bathroom had his and hers toilets. Not quite, but back then everyone found the concept of the bidet hard to get their heads around.
The transition to Howth for the young family wasn’t made any smoother when, after they moved in in August 1973, the Baily Lighthouse at the end of the property sounded for days due to heavy fog. The rest of the family complained bitterly and almost drove McDonald mad. Eventually they settled in and grew to love the very special setting.
Obvious charms
At 2,600sq ft and with four bedrooms and a well-appointed conservatory, the house is currently in use as a rental, so it would be feasible for buyers to live there for a time before making changes.
There seems to be a changing of the guard under way around Baily as the last generation drawn to the obvious charms of this area built state-of-the-art homes here in the 1960s and 1970s, but some of these now look a little dated and, in keeping with the natural life cycle of things, way is being made for new generations and fresh ideas. Long Acre certainly offers an enviable blank canvas to a buyer with imagination – and deep pockets of course.
