25-05-2025
Lavish home at centre of armed standoff on sale for half ‘€5.5m' it was bought for
Mansion's previous owner Brian McDonagh was later charged with producing a gun during the incident in February. He will appear in court next month
Dromin House in Delgany, Co Wicklow has seven bedrooms and is set in 10.9 acres of land
Businessman Brian McDonagh's baronial-style house has hit the market with a guide price of €2.45m after the property was repossessed in February.
Dromin House, a seven-bedroom country home set on 10.9 acres of land in Delgany, Co Wicklow, is described as a 'truly exceptional' property with 'stunning views' of the Wicklow Mountains.
Mr McDonagh (64) bought the house for a reported €5.5m in 2005, with a newspaper write-up hailing it as 'quite possibly the finest residential home to come on the market' at the time.
Sources say the property currently 'needs a lot of work'.
The qualified engineer was involved in a standoff with a sheriff and armed gardaí during the repossession by Blackwater Asset Management. He was subsequently charged with producing a shotgun likely to unlawfully intimidate another person during a dispute at Dromin House on February 24 this year.
Brian McDonagh
He was further charged with wilfully obstructing or interfering with an officer of the court on the same date.
Mr McDonagh is due before Bray District Court on June 9.
Lisney Sotheby International Realty, the estate agent handling the sale of the property, has opened an online bidding platform for potential buyers.
Dromin House sits at the heart of its own private estate and the entrance is marked by a 'charming bedroom gate lodge' that was completed in 1904.
The lodge has two bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen and bathroom, described as 'perfect for staff, guests or as a potential source of rental income'.
A winding tree-lined avenue ascends past a meandering stream
The advertisement states the house is 'ideally situated for those seeking a peaceful country lifestyle with exceptional convenience'.
It also mentions how the property features a range of outbuildings with 'great potential for conversion into extra accommodation', subject to planning permission.
'A winding tree-lined avenue ascends past a meandering stream, waterfall, and picturesque duck pond before arriving at the gravelled forecourt of the main house,' the property description states.
The three-floored house extends to over 520.9 sq m. It comprises four 'elegant' reception rooms, including a fine drawing room, a formal dining room, a study and an 'inviting' family room.
The kitchen has a cold pantry, crockery, wine stores, utility and ironing room.
'The accommodation also includes several charming spaces suitable for home offices or quiet retreats, each with natural light and timeless ambience,' the estate agent says.
The gardens have vegetable plots, a flourishing orchard, and expansive lawns, 'complemented by gently rolling paddocks ideal for grazing'.
After buying the property at the height of the Celtic Tiger, Mr McDonagh and his two younger brothers set their sights on building the biggest data centre in the world on a nearby 82-acre site in Kilpedder.
However, this dream led to decade-long litigation battles over their failure to repay millions of euro that had been loaned to buy lands earmarked for the data centre that never was.
Sitting room in the luxurious Dromin house
In 2007, Ulster Bank provided €21.8m to Mr McDonagh, Kenneth McDonagh and Maurice McDonagh to buy a large site in Kilpedder, near Newtownmountkennedy.
The brothers had hopes of building a €500m data centre that would be powered by green carbon-neutral energy.
Unfortunately for the McDonaghs, their project coincided with the crumbling of the Irish economy.
Initially, everything had been going to plan. Wicklow County Council granted permission for 10 two-storey data centres, the lands were rezoned and investment was secured.
Despite the bleak financial situation due to the crash, they persevered and restructured their debt. The biggest problem was that they were struggling to meet the hefty loan repayments and the interest was rapidly accumulating.
According to the High Court, by 2013, Mr McDonagh was indebted to Ulster Bank 'in the sum of approximately €33,162,068'.
Eventually Ulster Bank tried to agree a deal with the brothers where debt of around €27m would have been written off following repayment of €5m.
As part of the settlement, the site at Kilpedder was to be sold by July 31, 2014, with all the proceeds going to the bank.
After the deadline was missed, Ulster Bank appointed receivers.
In 2020, Mr Justice Michael Twomey granted a €22m judgment against the three brothers.
The Court of Appeal upheld this decision.
Ulster Bank later sought an order from the High Court for the enforced possession and sale of the brothers' respective homes in a bid to retrieve the outstanding €19.9m.
The original debt of €22m was reduced following the sale of a greenfield site at Kilpedder.
In January last year, the High Court made an order against the McDonaghs restricting their right to issue further proceedings against Ulster Bank over the Kilpedder site.
Last October, Mr Justice Twomey dismissed their latest motion which sought to have the High Court's grant of judgment against them overturned, and the Supreme Court refused to hear their further appeal.
Dromin House in Delgany, Co Wicklow has seven bedrooms and is set in 10.9 acres of land
News in 90 Seconds - May 25th 2025
