Garraunbaun Lodge was part of the Garraunbaun Estate in Moyard near Clifden in Co Galway until 1968, when the lodge – which was the servants’ quarters and stables in the 19th century – was sold off as a separate entity.
It was then owned by American comedian and Emmy award winner Michael O’ Donoghue who, famed for his acerbic wit said: “I try to attack all races and creeds except the Irish, as they are the closest to the angels and don’t deserve abuse”.
Famed director Quentin Tarantino also stayed here just prior to the release of his movie Pulp Fiction.
The estate was built by Charles Palmer Archer in the mid 1850s, and was later home to the Duane family. One of the family, Martha Duane, married poet, surgeon and statesman Oliver St John Gogarty. Gogarty and Duane purchased nearby Renvyle House in 1917 where they lived until the building was burnt to the ground during the Civil War.
The current owners of the lodge, which sits beside the grander Garraunbaun House, are Philip Miley and his wife, artist Alison Shaw, who purchased the 300sq m property from German owners in 2007.
“The previous owners were really outdoor people” says Miley “the gardens are in excellent condition due to their love of nature”.
Miley and Shaw had spent years holidaying in Connemara, and as keen anglers decided to buy Garraunbaun as a summer home. With an empty nest, they have put the lodge on the market through Sherry FitzGerald and Sherry FitzGerald Mangan with an asking price of €800,000.
The period dwelling has been completely renovated by the pair who together run antiques and interiors emporium The Old Courthouse in Greyabbey in Co Down, which is reflected in the period décor of the interiors. Every room is themed, to which Miley credits his wife’s artistic eye and flair.
The four-bed house is set on five acres; of which one acre is formal gardens including a walled garden installed when the estate was divided in 1968. Rhododendron and roses feature strongly throughout, as do native plants which tolerate the ravages of the Atlantic.
A bespoke kitchen in duck egg blue was built by David Johnson of Moira in Armagh in 2013, and like the rest of the property it is in pristine condition.
There are substantial outhouses which offer a further 135sq m and which, subject to planning, offer more in terms of accommodation.
The secluded property is just a short drive from local amenities; deep sea fishing at Cleggan, fly fishing at Delphi Lodge, and Connemara National park has a multitude of walks.
