Against the backdrop of people raising concerns about high rents and a shortage of affordable housing to canvassing politicians in advance of last Friday’s general election, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Ireland’s super-prime residential market has been motoring on quietly and is showing no sign of slowing down.
As the end of 2024 approaches, an examination of the Property Price Register (PPR) shows that approximately 1,235 sales have been completed nationally for sums of €1 million and above. The figure is roughly the same as that transacted until the end of November 2023 and over the same period in 2022.
A further inspection of the register shows that approximately 202 sales with a value of €2 million and above were completed in Ireland in the 11-month period to the end of November, while 62 homes changed hands for at least €3 million, with the most valuable sale approaching €30 million.
What follows are the top 10 residential sales by value this year. Where they appear on the register, the recorded figure reflects the amount paid for the principal residence and up to an acre of land. When a residential property sale includes more than an acre of land, the value of that extra land is not included on the register; we have marked the sale prices of these homes with an asterisk.
1. Ballynatray House, Youghal, Co Cork
- Sale price: €29.25 million*
A few miles upstream from Youghal in east Cork is Ballynatray House, a late Georgian estate set on 850 acres, located on a bend in the river Blackwater, which achieved €29.25 million, according to the PPR. It is understood to have been sold off-market last February, making it the most valuable transaction to have taken place in the Irish residential market so far this year. The PPR does not take into account the 850 acres of land included in the property, with some reports estimating the full sale price to be in the region of €32 million to €35 million.
Situated where the river is at its most expansive, the 11-bay, two-storey-over-basement classical-style house is understood to have been bought by British vacuum-cleaner magnate, James Dyson.
Ballynatray House was built between 1795 and 1797 on a symmetrical plan incorporating the fabric of an earlier house (built circa 1700), and includes ruins of an ancient abbey as well as estate houses.
The property last came to market in March 2003, when it was purchased for over €11 million by property investor Henry Gwyn-Jones, along with 400 acres of land. Gwyn-Jones bought it from French aristocrats Serge and Henriette Boissevain, who had bought Ballynatray in 1995 when the then-1,000-acre estate sold for about £1.5 million. It is said the Boissevains entertained many of Europe’s best and brightest at the residence, including Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, known as Princess TNT, whom one local recalls being photographed on the lawns for a glossy fashion magazine. The grounds of Ballynatray House also featured in the 1975 Stanley Kubrick movie Barry Lyndon, which starred Ryan O’Neal.
2. Censure House, Ceanchor Road, Baily, Howth, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €10 million
- Agent: Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty
Censure House was launched to the market seeking €15 million in May, 2022. When it didn’t sell at that price, it is understood to have gone through a number of agents before being sold by Lisney for €10 million (17 per cent below its €12.5 million guide price) in March of this year, according to the PPR.
It is a six-bedroom property extending to 1,365sq m (14,700sq ft), with a lift for simple transportation to all floors, and a self-contained one-bedroom apartment. The apartment was built on the site of an existing Regency villa, named Ceanchor House, which once belonged to the late socialite Jennifer Guinness.
Nestled into the rock face, the property is sheltered from the elements by mature trees, while it maintains sea views to its south, east and west. It also abuts the cliff walk, so, despite the elevation, you can exit a gate and nip down the cliffs to take a dip in the sea at Jameson Beach, one of Howth’s few south-facing swimming spots, within a matter of minutes. Read our full review here
3. Victoria House, 81 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €10 million
- Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
A decade ago, when it last went on the market, Victoria House also made the list of the 10 most expensive house sales of the year. It was purchased for €4.41 million, according to the PPR, and has since been extensively remodelled and extended by its most recent owners.
It was brought to market last April by Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €10 million – a sum which it achieved in September, according to the PPR.
The vendors of the classic Victorian restored its coving, cornicing and ceiling roses and had engineers reinforce the feature staircase. They also engaged Bloom-gold-medal-winning landscape architect Jane McCorkell to reimagine the beautiful south-facing back garden.
Set on the sunny side of this embassy belt road and extending to 550sq m (5,901sq ft), the six-bedroom residence backs on to the German ambassador’s residence, Danesfield, set on four acres. Read our full review here
4. Melbeach, Albany Avenue, Monkstown, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €8.25 million
- Agent: Inhous
Melbeach was sold off-market deal by Inhous. Set over three floors, the six-bedroom house extends to about 743sq m (8,000 sq ft) with sea views from its kitchen, livingroom and diningroom.
Daniel Lanois, who produced U2′s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, alongside Brian Eno, told Hot Press in 2007 that Melbeach was where songs such as Mothers of the Disappeared and Bullet the Blue Sky were born, when it was owned by The Edge.
5. Rarc An Ilan, 22 Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €7.5 million
- Agent: Knight Frank
Rarc An Ilan came to market in October 2023 seeking €8 million, and sold for €7.5 million (6 per cent below the guide price) last June, through Knight Frank, according to the PPR.
Despite it looking like it has been in situ since Georgian times, the house dates from 1993 when it was purchased by accountant and businessman Howard Kilroy, whom Michael Smurfit described in his autobiography, A Life Worth Living, as “his long-time colleague”.
It is understood Kilroy knocked an existing house and built this period-looking home of 318sq m (3,423sq ft) on the 0.6-acre site. Roscommon-based architectural firm Udo Humborg Associates was engaged to ensure original features, such as the old granite steps, lion’s heads and chimney pots, were reinstated.
Along with maritime views, Rarc An Ilan offers direct access to the sea, where the water pools in the granite rocks.
The new owner is understood to be a tech professional, and will find themself in good company in Dalkey, which Daft research found to be the area with the highest concentration of property millionaires as of 2018. Read our full review here
6. Lonsdale, 21 Temple Road, Dartry, Co Dublin
- Price: €7.5 million
- Agent: Inhous
One of the largest properties on Dublin 6′s Dartry Road, and once the childhood home of the late former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, it is understood Lonsdale has been acquired in an off-market sale conducted by Inhous.
Dating from 1884, the detached six-bedroom home, extending to 791sq m (8,514sq ft), is also one of the oldest holdings on the road. The granite-porticoed house comes with half an acre of gardens plus significant frontage to the road and includes an old coach and mews house.
A fine example of the classical Victorian revival, it is fitting that the residence has been bought by the Italian embassy as the ambassador’s residence. “There was some domestic interest in the property but they weren’t coming up to the asking price,” says selling agent Barbara Carty. She says it is likely that events will be hosted there, pointing out that there is “half an acre to put up marquees”. Read more here
7. Waverley, Westminster Road, Foxrock, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €7.255 million
- Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
Waverley is a seven-bedroom detached house on an acre of impressive gardens, which came to market seeking €8.45 million in April 2023 through Sherry FitzGerald. It then sold for €7.255 million last July, according to the PPR, 14 per cent below the asking price.
Designed for entertaining, and previously rented as an embassy residence, one can picture pyramids of Ferrero Rocher being served while those gathered sip cocktails and explore the vast house and stylish grounds.
The vendors bought the premises in the middle of the property boom in 2005 for €7.2 million, then set about completely revamping it: “We kept one or two things,” they told The Irish Times – the double-height nine-panelled front window with a sandstone surround and the portico leading to the front door, for example. But they changed much of the rest of the house, working with architectural firm Frank Ennis & Associates and designer Suzanne Roche.
Built in 1999 to look like a stately period home, the completely modern house extends to 698sq m (7513sq ft), has B1 Ber, triple-glazed windows, geothermal central heating and underfloor heating on the ground and first floors.
A balcony off the principal bedroom overlooks the back garden and beyond it, Foxrock golf club, on to which the property backs.
It has a 46sq m (500sq ft) well-equipped home gym in the building at the bottom of the garden as well as a detached executive office.
The garden of Waverley was designed first by Diarmuid Gavin and later by Paul Doyle. It is tended to twice a week by a gardener. Read our full review here
8. 21 The Templeton, Lansdowne Place, Dublin 4
- Sale price: €6.6 million
- Joint agents: Sherry FitzGerald New Homes and Savills
Lansdowne Place in Dublin 4 continues to attract buyers with deep pockets. The highest-value sale at the scheme was recorded at €7 million in 2023, with the second most expensive unit, 21 The Templeton – a seventh-floor, three-bedroom penthouse – selling for €6.6 million through joint agents Sherry FitzGerald New Homes and Savills in May this year.
The penthouse’s new owner will enjoy floor-to-ceiling vistas of the city in a vast space that extends to 320sq m (3,454sq ft) and includes a terrace of 17sq m (189sq ft), big enough to fit a table for 12. However, it is the further 174sq m (1,879sq ft) of roof terrace above that deliver wow-factor views to the mountains and sea.
The owner may even bump into high-profile fellow residents of the scheme, such as pop star Rod Stewart or former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain Roy Keane. Read more here
9. 3 Churchfields, The K Club, Co Kildare
- Sale price: €6 million
Number 3 Churchfields at the K Club is a five-bedroom detached Regency-style residence, extending to 582sq m (6,246sq ft), that was constructed in the late 1990s. The property also contains a detached garage and an annexe which is currently used as a gym studio. It was sold in September for €6 million, according to the PPR, in an off-market deal. It is understood John Bosco French of French Estates advised on the deal.
Originally owned by the late racehorse trainer Vincent O’Brien and his wife, Jacqueline, the house may be familiar to hawk-eyed analysts of the PPR as it is listed as having sold for €2.3 million in May 2017 and again for €2.825m in December 2020, and has since been extensively refurbished.
10. Rathbeale Hall, Rathbeale, Swords, Co Dublin
- Sale price: €5.875m
Rathbeale Hall in Swords sold for €5.875m in April, according to the PPR. The property is listed on the National Built Heritage Service website as one of architectural, archaeological and artistic note. Dating from about 1680, the detached five-bay, three-storey-over-basement pile was remodelled in 1750 to incorporate a Palladian facade along with flanking wings of two storeys each. It was further extended in 1850 to include a two-storey kitchen block.
Dublin sales from €4 million
- Avondale, Avoca Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Sale price: €5.85m. Agent: Lisney
- 56 Cowper Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sale price: €5.8m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- St Ann’s and Abbeyvilla, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, Co Dublin. Sale price: €5.8m. Agent: Lisney
- 32 Leeson Park, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Sale price: €4.95m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 53 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sale price: €4.8m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Glengariff, 24 Claremont Road, Sandymount, Co Dublin. Sale price: €4.65m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 3 Marlborough Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin. Sale price: €4.6m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Uisce Bán, Thormanby Road, Baily, Howth, Co Dublin. Sale price: €4.3m
- Glasthule House, Adelaide Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin. Sale price: €4.25m
- Belmarino, Marine Parade, Sandycove, Co Dublin. Sale price: €4.2m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Montebello House, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, Co Dublin. (On 4 acres) Sale price: €4,155,870*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 64 Park Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4. Sale price: €4.1m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Cranna, 28 Cowper Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sale price: €4.025m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- St Peter’s, 91 Ailesbury Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Sale price: €4m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
Dublin sales from €3m
- 23 Highfield Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.9m. Agent: Mullery O’Gara
- Glenbeigh, Torquay Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18. Sale price: €3.8m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 28 The Hutchins, Lansdowne Place, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.8m. Joint agents: Sherry FitzGerald New Homes/Savills
- Cedar Grove, Westminster Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18. Sale price: €3.725m. Agent: Daphne Kaye and Associates
- Clifton House, Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3,682,407. Agent: Stokes Property
- Lisnacarrig, 34A Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.625m. Agent: Lisney
- 154 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.575m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 3 Roseglen Terrace, Briarfield Road, Dublin 5. Sale price: €3.5m
- 23 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.5m. Agent: Knight Frank
- 33 Nutley Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.4m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Glenwood, 51 St Kevin’s Park, Dartry, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.4m. Agent: DNG
- 1 Ailesbury Drive, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.325m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 5 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.325m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Twin Oaks, 62 Park Avenue, Sandymount, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.3m. Agent: DNG
- 33 Georgian Village, Castleknock, Dublin 15. Sale price: €3.3m. Agent: Flynn & Associates
- 51 Park Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.25m.
- 7 Rostrevor Terrace, Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.25m. Agent: Knight Frank
- Herradura, 42 Sandymount Avenue, Sandymount, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.225m.
- Newbury, 11 Marlborough Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.2m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 7 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.2m.
- Doonbeg, Silchester Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.2m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 9 Coastguard Terrace, Putland Road, Bray, Co Wicklow. Sale price: €3.2m.
- The Lake House, 6 Claremont Road, Howth, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3.2m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Solferino Lodge, 35 Belgrave Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.15m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 60 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.1m. Agent: DNG
- 82 Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.1m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 41 Leeson Park, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Sale price: €3.075m. Agent: Mullery O’Gara
- 31 Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Sale price: €3.075m. Agent: Lisney
- Rock House, 91 Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 35 Abbotts Hill, Malahide, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3m. Joint agents: Lisney and Sherry FitzGerald
- Lisheen, 15 Elton Park, Sandycove, Co Dublin. Sale price: €3m. Agent: Lisney
Sales outside Dublin from €2 million
- Seaspray, Scilly, Kinsale, Co Cork. Sale price: €5.5m. Agent: Inhous
- Valley House, Sandycove, Kinsale, Co Cork. Sale price: €4.99m. Sold off-market
- 26 Temple Wood, Carton Demesne, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Sale price: €3,920,704
- Glebe House, Landsend, Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Sale price: €3,704,850. Joint agents: Sherry FitzGerald and Sherry FitzGerald Reynolds
- 12 Churchfields, K Club, Straffan, Co Kildare. Sale price: €3m.
- 10A Churchfields, K Club, Straffan, Co Kildare. Sale price: €3m.
- Kennitt House, Rochestown Road, Douglas, Co Cork. Sale price: €3m. Agent: Savills
- Over Yonder, Ardbrack, Kinsale, Co Cork. Sale price: €2.9m. Agent: Sheehy Brothers
- Crohana House, Annamult, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny. (On 30 acres) Sale price: €2.625m*. Agent: Lisney
- Eadling House, Craddockstown East, Naas, Co Kildare. Sale price: €2.5m. Agent: Coonan Property
- 5 The Demesne, Adare Manor, Adare, Co Limerick. Sale price: €2.3m Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- 13 Templewood, Carton Demesne, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Sale price: €2.25m. Agent: Coonan Property
- Scalp Farm, Barnaslingan Lane, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. (On 10 acres.) Sale price: €2.25m.* Agent: Lisney
- Mountloftus House, Mountloftus, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny. (On 61 acres.) Sale price: €2.2m*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes
- Ellerslie, St Vincent Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow. Sale price: €2.15m. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
- Ballindoolin House, Ballindoolin, Carbury, Co Kildare. (On 238 acres.) Sale price: €2,062,150*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes
Other notable sales
Kilree Estate, Kilree, Co Kilkenny. (On 535 acres.) Sale price: €1.2m*. Agent: Savills. Property including land understood to have sold for €7.75m.
Killough Castle and Farm, Thurles, Co Tipperary. (On 527 acres.) Sale price: €505,000*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes. Property including land understood to have sold for in excess of €6.39m asking price.
Tullyard House and Farm, Trim, Co. Meath. (On 189 acres.) Sale price: €900,000*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes. Property including land understood to have sold for slightly under €3.85m asking price.
Rathduff Stud, Golden, Cashel, Co Tipperary. (On 95 acres.) Sale price: €850,000*. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes. Property including land understood to have sold for €2.675m at auction.
Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes reports the sale of Dowth Hall on 11 acres in Co Meath, which it says closed in January 2024, at a price of €11m. The sale has yet to appear on the PPR.
