Former mill manager's house next door to Bono's new state of the art distillery for sale in Kildare

Irish Independent

23-05-2025

Asking price: €375,000
Agent: Matt Dunne & Associates [phone]
​The new buyers of a detached family home in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, could find themselves sipping whiskey with Bono.
The U2 frontman is reported to have invested in a new €50m distillery right next door at Monsterevin, Co Kildare. It's fronted by a company called Jewelfield Ltd, owned by the businessman Paddy McKillen.
Church of Oak Distillery will not only produce a new multigrain Irish whiskey, but operate a visitor's centre, with an exhibition space and a roof garden. The modern complex was designed by ODOS Architects.
There has been a mill, in various guises, on the site since 1801. 'Ballykelly Mill was owned by a company called Minch Norton.
It used to be a flour mill and then for a number of years it made grain into malting barley for the brewing industry,' explains Brian Somers, an electrical engineer whose company provides back-up power solutions. 'It was then used for storage and sold fertilisers, animal feed and barley feed to farmers.'
Somers, who's selling the house with his three siblings, lives in Portarlington, but grew up in the four-bedroom, 1,583 sq ft home, which was built in 1967.
His father Richard ('Dick') Somers, from Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, was made manager of Ballykelly Mill in 1974, and the house came with the position.
'He worked for Minch Norton as a manager for his entire career and led a charmed life,' he says. 'We used to slag him that he never knew what a mortgage was,' he adds. 'In addition, he didn't have a daily commute to work, as the mill was right next door.'
The whole family benefitted from living next door to the mill, as Brian and his siblings worked part-time jobs there in the summer. 'We'd be working on weighbridges, weighing things,' he explains. 'It was a kind of rite of passage for us and it was great.'
Brian has happy memories of living in the house and playing in the enclosed garden surrounding the house, with his brother and two sisters as a child. 'We used to cycle to and from school in Monasterevin and spent hours playing outside in the summer,' he says.
The mill closed in 2006 and lay derelict until work began to renovate the site in recent years. 'The company has also bought an old cottage and its outhouses across the road, and plans to reinstate the thatched roof and use it as part of the distillery,' says Somers.
Although located next door to the new business, the house is still private given the high walls and the old oak and sycamore trees that border it.
Accommodation includes a sitting room, a dining room and a utility room off the kitchen downstairs. Upstairs, there are four double bedrooms.
Over the years, some changes have been made to the house. The kitchen was extended at the back in the 1980s and the kitchen units, which are cream with a wooden counter, have in recent years been updated.
In 2000, a conservatory, with a tiled floor and room for a couch and a dining table and chairs, was added at the south-facing front of the building. 'It's a real sun spot and gets the sun for most of the day,' says Somers.
Solar panels, which heat the water, were also installed in the roof in 2010, and in 2018 the bathroom, which is tiled in brown and beige, was modernised.
To the side of the building is a garage, which has been used for storage, but which could be converted to make another room.
After Brian's mother Margaret passed away in 2008, his father lived there alone. 'In that time, the interior was changed very little. Some of the rooms therefore look a little dated,' he says. 'But it's structurally sound and the plumbing and electrics are in working order, so the interior could be easily updated.'
His father moved out of the house in 2022, and has since passed away. The building has been vacant for two-and-a-half years and would likely qualify for the vacant property grant.
Located just a mile away from the town of Monasterevin, the house offers easy access to amenities. There's a train station with direct trains to Dublin in the town, making it easy for commuters.
There's also a primary school within walking distance of the house, and Ballykelly GAA club is located just across the road.
In addition, the 'Barrow Blue Way' – a 120km walking and cycling path, which follows the Grand Canal and leads from Robertstown, Co Kildare to St Mullens, Co Carlow – passes through Monastervevin. It can be found behind the house and passes behind Ballykelly Mill. 'It's a lovely, peaceful walk and a great amenity to have nearby.'
After his father died in October 2023, Somers and his siblings put off selling the house given their emotional ties to it, but they've now come to terms with putting it on the market.
'First, it had to be cleared of a lifetime of memories,' he says. 'We found things like old copy books we had in primary school and even locks of hair from when we were babies that my mother had kept.
'But we're feeling better about selling now,' he adds. 'Once we put up the 'For Sale' sign and it started to attract interest, we realised how quickly the sale could happen.'
He points out that the new distillery may well provide employment to the new owners of the house.
'It would be lovely to see a young family living there now,' he adds. 'I could see young kids running around the garden.'
He'll be a little sad about saying goodbye to it, however. 'It's the end of an era, as it was always the manager of the mill's house, and it was a wonderful family home for us growing up,' he says. 'But it's time to let it go.'
Matt Dunne is seeking offers in the region of €375,000.