Where eagles flare: Douglas home worth getting your talons on

Irish Examiner

a day ago

IN a property with no shortage of talking points, the most intriguing feature at this Moneygourney home is the sweeping set of steps that cuts up through landscaped banks to a small green clearing, where two sculpted eagles, wings flared and talons bared, are locked in mortal combat.
Moneygourney mix of home, guest apartment and planning for three new build on grounds
The steps and what lies beyond hold a profound symbolism for homeowner Mike Nolan. He designed them based on the final scene of Meet Joe Black, a 1998 movie where Joe Black (Brad Pitt) personifies Death and leads Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) up steps that represent the threshold between life and death. Once crossed, there is no coming back for Bill.
'It's hard to let go, isn't it?' Bill asks. 'Yes it is Bill,' says Joe. 'What can I tell you? That's life,' answers Bill, in a heartfelt moment of reflection.
Eagle sculpture at top of steps, leading to upper field. Pic: Larry Cummins
The scene resonated deeply with Mike after he lost his beloved daughter Grace in 1999 to a genetic disorder that affects the formation of blood vessels, called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). A year later, when he, his wife June, and their six remaining kids moved to Moneygourney, he designed his own Joe Black steps 'on the back of a cigarette box'. He showed it to Tony Garvey, the man who would become his landscaper and gardener for the next 25 years.
'I came here to plant one tree, and I've been here since,' Tony laughs.
The tree was a magnolia — dedicated to the memory of Grace — and it has delivered magnificent blooms year-on-year, just as Grace's death has delivered hope to others, propelling her father into setting up a foundation in her memory in 2002, the Grace Nolan Foundation, followed by decades of raising awareness about HHT, while also raising millions of euro, through the foundation, towards the cost of researching the disorder, with the goal of finding a cure.
Mosaic portrait of Grace Nolan hanging on the stairs of the family home at Moneygourney. Picture Larry Cummins
Despite the great tragedy of losing Grace, Mike did not forget to also celebrate the joys of living. Many events were celebrated with family and friends in the great, big outdoor space between the rear of their home and the Joe Black stairway, easily able to accommodate a marquee.
'We had manys the marquee,' Mike says. Drinks were served from the outdoor block-built covered bar and barbecue and guests could sit on the built-in stone seats or on the Joe Black steps or at any number of seating areas dotted about the expansive Indian sandstone patio. It was one hell of an entertainment space, but you'd expect nothing less from a man who once ran a couple of successful bars, including Oscar Madison's in Kinsale, the Titanic in Cobh, and the well-known Oyster bar in Cork city, where he turned the upstairs room into a shrine to his hero John Lennon, before selling it in 2004 to the Rebel Group.
Beatles artwork in the ground floor room of guest house used previously as a snooker and games room / mancave / recording studio. Pic Larry Cummins
Much of The Beatles paraphernalia that he showcased in the Oyster is now on display in the guest house at Moneygourney, a roomy 160 sq m property, bigger than your standard semi-d. Previously a garage, it was knocked and rebuilt by Mike in 2013, the same year they decided to add a modern, zinc-clad, heavily glazed extension to the rear of the original Moneygourney house, which was built in 1995.
Beatles memorabilia
Among the treasures on the guest house walls are a framed cheque written by John Lennon to Harrods store in 1970; framed rare US versions of Beatles records and album sleeves; a photo of Eric Clapton and George Harrison deep in conversation, taken by their one-time girlfriend, model, and photographer Patti Boyd (there are just 50 copies of the image worldwide), and original 1974 pop art images of the Fab Four by renowned Polish artist Rafal Olbinksy, purchased by Mike on New York's 8th Avenue many years ago.
Mike Nolan with Brendan O'Carroll, centre duo
Amid the Fab Four iconography are photos of Mike with comedian Brendan O'Carroll. They first met through a football fundraising gig (Mike played League of Ireland football with Cork Celtic, Limerick Utd and City and Cobh Ramblers) and Brendan subsequently donated the takings from the very first night of Mrs Brown's Boys to the Grace Nolan Foundation, after the play premiered at the Everyman Palace in Cork. Mike later put in a couple of appearances in the TV show, including the 2013 Christmas special. He remains close friends with the actor who also came up with the idea for Dear Grace, a national letter-writing competition for schoolkids who composed letters to Grace. The initiative generated 10 books of Dear Grace letters over the years, with proceeds going to the foundation.
Other elements of Mike's life
are reflected in the guest house, not least his passion for music. The guest house was originally destined to be a gym and recording studio — it's sound-proofed and wired accordingly — but it morphed into accommodation for family members. A very large upstairs bedroom could easily be converted into two bedrooms.
Downstairs, another large room could be partitioned into a home office and gym — there are two showers off it for gym users — or a home office/gym and third bedroom. There's a kitchen/living room too, where the kitchen counter is made from elm salvaged from the bar counter at Oscar Madison's.
The pubs were 'hobbies' for Mike whose main business was Cork-headquartered QEF Global, providers of supply chain management. In 2013, Mike sold the business in a multi-million dollar deal to Park Ohio Holdings Corp, a Nasdaq-listed company led by Ed Crawford. Crawford was appointed US ambassador to Ireland in June 2019. A photograph of Mike and Ed in his ambassadorial role hangs in the expansive hallway of the main house at Moneygourney.
Even with two substantial homes on the 2.7 acre Moneygourney site, the sheer scale of the property means they hardly make a dent on it. Both homes are at the top of a long, curving driveway with lawn on either side. You'd be inclined to think there was scope for more homes and planners were of the same mind, as permission was granted earlier this year for the construction of three, four-bed 2,800 sq ft homes on the front lawn. The planning grant and the existing two residences on the site are all factored into the €2.6m asking price.
There's 2.7 acres with FPP for three more builds on the right and for the drive to be moved to the left
There are copious rooms to choose from in the 4,000 sq ft-plus, five-bedroom main house, from the two reception rooms either side of the hallway (one is currently a home office) to the very generous open plan kitchen/dining/sunroom area, housed mainly in the rear extension, with doors to the patio. The extension also includes a large living room with a bar and music surround system, and an extra high ceiling and clerestory window for added light and volume. The ceiling height allowed Mike to hang a piped glass chandelier that he bought in New York the day the Twin Towers came down. He bought the eagle sculpture the same day at a knockdown price from a dealer convinced the world was about to end. The eagles have remained at the top of the Joe Black steps while the rest of the gardens evolved under the expert eye and green-thumbed guidance of Tony.
The evolution over a 25-year period was quite dramatic: A photograph in the front hallway shows what things looked like when Mike bought the property — essentially a home plonked towards the rear of a sloping field.
'A garden must make you want to go around it and that's what we have done here,' says Tony. Pathways lead behind shrubbery to hidden nooks; a waterfall feature (switched off for now) was a big hit with the kids; there were acres to play on front and back, including a small field beyond the fighting eagles, great for soccer and trampolining, as well as being a haven for wildlife.
It's conceivable that whoever buys the house will want to enjoy the land as is, rather than developing it, but another buyer might like the opportunity to build in a prized location, near the South Link road network and Douglas village, atop Maryborough Hill, where homes command a premium.
Der O'Riordan of Barry Auctioneers says if a new owner goes ahead with developing the land, the drive will be relocated to the left of the site, while the main house and guest house will retain the full parking area to the front, as well as the fabulous patios and BBQ area to the rear, and the garden/meadow at the top of the Joe Black steps.
Mr O'Riordan describes the Moneygourney home as a 'rare and splendid' property.
'It will attract purchasers who are looking for a large, iconic property with substantial, mature, and private gardens, set in the much sought-after area of Moneygourney.
'The purchaser will be a family looking for a larger property with space and character, or indeed families returning from Dublin, or coming from abroad.
'Because of the full planning permission, it will also interest an investor who can look at developing the three houses, with options for the whole site,' Mr O'Riordan says.
VERDICT: The scale of the property, which already has two homes and planning permission for three more, is quite a unique offering, in an area watched by developers. Could sort out the adult kids' housing headaches in one fell (eagle) swoop. Location feels like country, but is close to Douglas village, with easy access to the South Ring road network and the soon-to-be M28. Public transport operates locally