Centrally located East Wall is hived off from the rest of Dublin 3 by railway lines, which has preserved its village-like feel. Playwright Sean O’Casey grew up here and while much of his dramatic writing documents the hardship of tenement Dublin, the area has become gentrified thanks to its proximity to East Link Business Park and the north docklands.
New infrastructure such as the docklands rail line and the soon-to-be completed cycle path linking the Convention Centre and Annesley Bridge make it even more accessible. It is also just minutes from the port tunnel, which, on a good day can have you at the airport in 12 minutes, according to documentary-maker Ronan Tynan, who owns the house along with his documentary-making wife, Anne Daly. Together the couple run Esperanza Productions, and navigated the bloodiest conflict in the Middle East in their film, Syria – The Impossible Revolution.
They were living in London when they bought the circa 67sq metre, E2-Ber-rated property for €200,000 in 2014, according to the property price register. With the help of their daughter, the NCAD and Royal College of Art London-trained Sarah Tynan, an artist and designer, they set about opening up the space. She previously worked as a set and scenic artist for London-based Fountain Studios, honing her visual craft on blockbuster productions such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.
While what she’s done looks incredibly simple, it is really thoughtfully realised. Simple white handle-less units by Lisa Maher Design line both walls in the kitchen, and bench seating give you a proper eat-in space. There is also lots of storage, including room for a large fridge freezer and even a super-slim cupboard to tidy away brooms and an ironing board. A wall-size set of glass sliding doors brings in northern light and gives you access to the garden, where water features are hidden among the shrubbery.
The house has good ceiling heights, over 2.8m high in the open-plan living room-cum-kitchen, which extends the depth of the house and leads through to a smartly laid out exterior designed by Vision Landscapes. This mature space includes lavender, a Japanese acer, clematis creeping over the boundary wall and Syrian jasmine, an olfactory ode to the war-torn country that inspired the owners’ work.
An inset stove warms the sitting room, which is to the front of the house, and there is an engineered oak floor throughout. The main bathroom is at hall level, to the rear of the stairs, and is smartly set-out with a free-standing shower. The windows are sliding sash uPVC frames with privacy plantation shutters on the stairwell and in the back bedroom.
The master bedroom to the front runs the width of the house and is home to a Murphy bed, installed by the Wall Bed Company. The couple once hosted 18 people for Christmas dinner in the room.
There is also an attic room, bright thanks to its rooflights and pale painted floorboards. This is where some of the rough edit for the documentary was done. Off it is an en suite, complete with full-size bath set under the eaves.
Couples looking to buy this could use the attic as the master and perhaps rent the back bedroom, under the rent-a-room scheme, and use the current master bedroom at the front of the house as a second sitting room.
The property, which has had an insulation upgrade, bringing its BER rating to a respectable C1, is asking €495,000 through agents Madden Property.
