Ballydoole House, near the village of Pallaskenry, 12 miles from Limerick city, was built in the Georgian style sometime at the end of the last century, about 1997 or 1998. But it was still unfinished when the present owners moved in in 2006. The garden and upper floors levels were complete but the entrance level was still a concrete shell.
They set to work finishing the house but Ballydoole appeared back on the maket in 2014 asking €900,000. It has since changed agents and is now for sale at €500,000 through DNG Cusack Dunne.
Set high on a hill, on about 20 acres of land, it’s impressive from a distance, with a long driveway cutting through meadows up to a forecourt in front of the house.
Inside, the 5000 sq ft house has a double height entrance hall with fold-back, solid oak, double doors leading through to the living room, a space with three sets of tall windows that frame the riverscape below and a grand marble fireplace.
With panoramic views over the estuary of the River Shannon you can see cargo ships wind their way upriver to Limerick. From here you can also see Bunratty Castle and in the distance you can plane spot the landings and departures at Shannon Airport, which is lit up like a faraway Christmas tree at night.
The room, floored in solid oak polished boards, has a marble fireplace with a pair of French doors opening from the central window out to a viewing terrace. To the left is the formal dining room, which features a gothic-style stone fireplace. The kitchen is on the other side of the living room and features a painted design with a Stanley range. A set of stairs leads from here down to garden level.
Upstairs on the first floor there are four bedrooms, two of which have ensuite shower rooms. The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe compete with a luandry chute that delivers directly to the utility room at garden level.
This semi-basement level has a flagstone floor and ineresting touches such as a door frame made from timber wine boxes. Apart from the utility room there is a is a power room and wine cellar as well as separate offices that could also be used as a au pair or granny flat.
The 20-acres includes about 1,000 oak trees, planted by a previous owner and which the current owner estimates to be about 20-years old. There are also stables for four horses on the property, which is in a hunting heartland.
During the season local packs, The Stonehall Harriers and the Limerick Harriers run across the lands and the oaks have been used as cover for foxes, according to the owner.
