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Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Killeagh's No 1 - and it's a contemporary home going for a song
EAST Cork's Killeagh is having its moment of fame.... and here's a high-end home with a down-home price in which to bask in its sudden stardom. Home to c 1,000 souls, living along the N25 between Midleton and the sea at Youghal, Killeagh took its latest leap to increased recognition and appreciation when the local leg of the 23km-long East Cork Greenway connected in Killeagh along a former rail line, with a trail head link for cyclists, walkers, and buggy pushers to the lovely, local Glenbower Wood. The Killeaghs? Kingfishr have put Killeagh on the map far beyond East Cork Then, as if that was an omen of things to come, a song called 'Killeagh', written in 20 minutes about the local GAA club's love of all things hurling, shot to No 1 in the Irish singles charts: it saw the band behind it, Kingfishr, heading two nights at the Marquee, where their anthem rang loud (twice, it also made their encore) as well as raised the roof at the All Ireland Cork-Tipperary hurling final the same month, sadly to no ultimate cup-lifting avail for Cork. Raise a glass so to Killeagh's Glen Villa, a one-off home created a decade ago for his own family by builder Conor McNamara, of Absolute Homes, who is now selling as the clan enter the college-going years and he's got a site in the city to go again. 'I suppose we got a bit carried away,' he quips of the 3,250 sq ft East Cork home designed by architect Paul Horgan. The house is full of crisp lines, engaging roofs, ridges and eaves profiles, fine finishes, and smart ideas (sliding 'pocket wall' divide off the kitchen for an out-of-sight work area, anyone?), along with an A2 BER, future proofing and low running costs, plus a site divided in two and giving two access options. Man cave There's even a 'man cave' in a garden corner, complete with stove and Jacuzzi for a touch of Love Island meets Big Brother meets Killeagh GAA and the Dissour river valley and all going for a song, relatively speaking? Glen Villa is fresh to market with East Cork estate agent James Colbert, who prices it at what seems like a modest starter of €675,000 — accepting that it's under the cost of construction for anyone else but a builder to emulate and possibly underplaying Killeagh's newfound popularity? At the size/price ratio it equates to €2,200 per square metre, at a time when one-off build costs are generally put at €3,000 psm and when Absolute Home's Mr McNamara says that a standard, A-rate bungalow currently costs the bones of €500,000. Bespoke, like most of his builds, Glen Villa is far, far from bare bones, and was designed by Midleton-based architect Paul Horgan, of Horgan Carroll (now Ailtiri Architects), who got the planning back in 2013/14, when the McNamaras lived in a home next door on Killeagh's Cork Rd, sold to fund Glen Villa. This house features Horgan's distinctive, exposed roof timbers under eaves, with mono-pitch and flat-roof sections on this deep, broken floor plan, where little or nothing is given away as to the scale of the home from passing glimpses over the front boundary wall on the Cork Rd (a handy back route towards Cork City via Mogeely and then Midleton, which avoids Castlemartyr's traffic snarls). Finding eaves It's built 'block on flat' with 220mm of exterior insulation for super warmth, with exact airtightness, Lotus wood panelling, triple-glazed windows and doors from Munster Joinery, heat-recovery system, warm-roof construction (Trocal membrane topped), and Swedish-style Supergrund 'Kore' foundations, typically used for passive builds. Visited on Friday last with outside temperatures in the mid-20s, Glen Villa was more than warm, with doors pulled back to the vast limestone patio and with views over to the even hotter hot tub and entertainment/relaxation room: Next step, an ice bath? The grounds are landscaped, with paving, planting at the perimeter, and gravel and astroturf, while a screened rear section is accessed via a gate by the entertainment room and has planning granted for a large garage or possible pod/home office, with independent gate access via Killeagh Gardens, and also allowing for a more greened garden, if next owners so wish. Accommodation spans four en-suite, first-floor bedrooms, the main one super-large with three floor-to-ceiling windows facing south, while another, with a tall roof pitch, has steep steps up to a mezzanine with clerestory windows, something which will be embraced by slightly older children who'll manage the steps. Step up? On the ground floor is a main, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, built with entertaining in mind, plus a second family reception room, a large, airy hall with glass-balustered stairs and service kitchen/utility linking to an integrated garage/hobby room, which is easily converted to more residential usage, if desired. Fittings and finishes are at the sleek and luxury end of the scale, with granite-topped kitchen units and island. There's an integrated garage at the front of the house, once you have passed the electric access gates, there's CCTV, a vent by a garden wall for the main living area's wide, integrated flame fire (necessary, as the house is air-tight) and, a first in this reporter's experience, a water trough (for a pet dog) that is self-refilling, and is sort of a canine equivalent of a farmer's cattle trough: 'It's built with longevity and lifestyle in mind,' observes agent James Colbert. Suite dreams VERDICT: Killeagh on the crest? Family living lifestyle in East Cork, near the greenway, with a creche next door, Killeagh village nearby, GAA grounds, and Glenbower wood on the doorstep, heritage homes along the main street, bookended by The Thatch bar, and beaches beyond along the East Cork coastline, all for the price of a decent, suburban Cork City semi-detached house and going for a relative song called 'Killeagh'?
Irish Examiner
27-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Motorsport: Stafford and Cleary hang on to win in Midleton
With a 15.3-second lead entering the final stage, the Wexford crew of James Stafford/Richard Cleary (Darrian T90 GTR) almost backed off too much but did enough to win the Midleton-based CDE Imokilly Rally by 4.4s. Armagh's Jason Black and his Cork based co-driver Karl Egan took second place as they pushed hard on the final stage and while they almost caught Stafford/Cleary, they deprived the Monaghan/Cavan pairing of Johno Doogan/Paul Lennon (Ford Escort) of the runner-up spot by 4.7s. Doogan led after the opening 15.5km stage where Stafford, who reckoned the dust on the stage was more that he anticipated, took time to get into a rhythm and finished just 1.1s in arrears. Gary Kiernan (Ford Escort) in third struggled with brakes that overheated. Top seed Rob Duggan lost time when he had to reverse after he spun his Escort, he ended the stage down in seventh - 12.7s off the lead. Stafford set a strong time on the second stage to move into the lead - 5.7s ahead of Doogan, who wasn't committing as it would involve some risk. Kiernan slotted into third but continued to have brake issues. An untroubled Michael Cahill (Escort) was fourth followed by the Toyota Starlet of Armagh's Jason Black and the Escort of Clare's Padraig Egan (Ford Escort). Although Duggan partially sorted some issues, he withdrew at the Midleton service park leaving Stafford tackle the repeated of both stages as rally leader. The Wexford driver was best on SS3 to move 9s ahead of Doogan while Egan crashed out. On the fourth stage Black, who struggled on the opening stage, showed a fine turn of speed and topped the time sheets to move up two places to third - a mere 1.1s behind Doogan. Stafford reckoned the dust on SS4 prevented him from posting a better time, nevertheless, he led by 13s. Kiernan attributed his time loss on SS4 to having stiffened the front of his Escort too much as it was "lifting off the road" on the high speed sections. Cahill in fifth was a little concerned about some differential issues while Peter Wilson, who posted good times on both reckoned his Escort was running a little too hot. With the brake issues sorted, Moffett was pleased with his performances on both stages, he was seventh in a top ten that also featured Vincent O'Shea (Darrian T90 GTR) and the Escorts of Cian Walsh and Mark Dolphin. Walsh, in the Tom Randles Escort, was happy with his performance while Dolphin was unhappy when he encountered a stricken Escort being removed on SS3. Protecting his lead position Stafford stretched his advantage to 15.3s on the penultimate stage. Doogan tried a harder compound that took a few kilometres to work properly as Black trimmed the margin between them to 0.9s. Kiernan and Cahill followed with the latter closing to within 5.3s as Kiernan tried some different tyre options. Moffett had a big moment on the stage and decided to call it a day. At the latter end of the top 10 Cian Walsh and Mark Dolphin battled for local bragging rights as the latter cut the deficit to a mere 0.7s. Stafford arrived at the end of final stage a trifle worried as he reckoned he had backed off too much, to his relief, his victory was confirmed within a few minutes. Elsewhere, Kiernan and first time co-driver Jake O'Sullivan (Escort) managed to fend off Cahill for fourth with Meath's Peter Wilson (Ford Escort) sixth. Kenmare's Vincent O'Shea (Darrian T90 GTR) took a trouble-free drive to seventh as Dolphin reeled in Walsh for eighth and top Cork driver by just 0.2s. Youghal's Jason and Ross Ryan (Toyota Starlet) won Class 11F and the Castlemartyr/Ardfield crew of Darragh Walsh/Gary Lombard (Honda Civic) took the Junior honours. CDE Imokilly Rally, Midleton: 1. J. Stafford/R. Cleary (Darrian T90 GTR) 41m. 08.2s; 2. J. Black/K. Egan (Toyota Starlet)+4.4s; 3. J. Doogan/P. Lennon (Ford Escort)+9.1s; 4. G. Kiernan/J. Sullivan (Ford Escort)+38.3s; 5. M. Cahill/C. Smith (Ford Escort)+44.1s; 6. P. Wilson/J. McCarthy (Ford Escort)+1m. 19.2s; 7. V. O'Shea/E. O'Donoghue (Darrian T90 GTR)+1m. 38.6s; 8. M. Dolphin/T. Delaney (Ford Escort)+1m. 55.2s; 9. C. Walsh/D. Doonan (Ford Escort)+1m. 55.9s; 10. D. Hickey/R. O'Riordan (Ford Escort)+2m. 11.5s.
Irish Examiner
26-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Examiner
Horses and houses for courses: saddle up for €550k Kilbree home
THE family at this East Cork spot near Ladysbridge love their home, but they almost love horses more — they are selling 'to go all in on horses, they have a few and want to breed them,' says Midleton-based estate agent James Colbert, tacking them up for a quick sale to facilitate their plans. Donkey work all done The couple have already done the donkey work at their Kilbree, Ladysbridge house, transforming an original compact cottage on an acre into something far more spacious. It has some 2,200 sq ft, with four bedrooms (three up, one down), plus bed five/study, two living rooms, bright kitchen with solid wood units painted a sage green colour, topped with hardwood plus breakfast island, and lit by an overhead Velux window. Pedigree property Still called The Cottage, it presents to the road with a stripped back stone and brick edge original gable wall, contrasting with white render on one of the other entry points in the new section. This added-on, taller new wing allows for three first floor bedrooms — one of them en suite, plus main bathroom, all crisply tiled and fresh, and with one other ground floor bedrooms. There are also two reception rooms, one with attractive old brick chimney breast holding a wood-burning stove, and again, this room has additional light from a window in the roof. The second reception room is off the kitchen/dining room, more open plan, with a tall corner window with double doors to a sheltered patio with retractable awning on the gable, under double doors for the first floor's main bedroom. Condition is immaculate and as well as the four-bed/2,200 sq ft house there's a detached garage with roller door, a stable structure mounted on a concrete plinth which can be demounted if next owners are not looking for equine luxury on their doorstep. Graze anatomy The Cottage is on an acre, with over half of that in a paddock with road frontage, about 2km from Ladysbridge village, with the sea and beaches with a short drive at Garryvoe for those more into white horses. Guiding at €550,000, James Colbert says: 'This location offers a fantastic balance of rural peace and modern convenience. It's an ideal choice for families, equestrian enthusiasts, or anyone seeking a lifestyle move without sacrificing connectivity. And, with its mix of old and new, indoor and outdoor space, plus a B2 BER for those seeking a green mortgage, The Cottage is a rare find in East Cork.' VERDICT: The same agent has gone over the €1m mark for East Ferry's Sea View, also with stables (previously featured on this pages), so The Cottage is a place when you can cut your horse blanket according to your measure: 'It's basically a miniature version, at a reflective price of €550,000,' says Mr Colbert.
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
The Village bar in Cork's Douglas is braving the All-Ireland Final for a soft opening
Can you have a 'soft opening' of a bar, restaurant, and hotel business on a crazy Cork weekend of an All Ireland final? As she prepares to open her business venture The Village in Cork's suburban Douglas, Gillian McCarthy sweetly says she and her hospitality business partner Patrick Dillon hope so. It prompts the question as to what, exactly, would constitute a hard 'hitting the ground' running opening, as Cork flags (and possibly the odd Tipp one: the landlord is a Tipperary investor) may adorn the new-look suburban venture, on the site of the historic old Pipers' fairground in upmarket Douglas? Soft it is not going to be... The business pairing have taken over a previously trading hospitality premises, East Village on a 30-year lease, dropping 'East' from the rebrand to now trade as The Village Rooms Bar and Kitchen in the 20-year-old mixed-use development. Gillian McCarthy at The Village, Rooms, Bar & Kitchen in the East Douglas Village. Picture Dan Linehan Builders Kumry Construction finished up refurbishment works in the last few days and it's now final fit-out time for the bar and restaurant, each seating up to 120 patrons on the ground (bar) and first floor (restaurant) as well as outdoor and first floor terrace seating. The new opening is the most significant development at the overall East Douglas Village complex, created around a new street which include other restaurants and 16 apartments in red brick and cut limestone blocks, since it was acquired by Tipperary-based private investor in 2021 for €11m. Two other recent lettings, to Midleton-based Hs2 hair salon and to Regina Nails (also on Patrick Street in the city centre) bring the overall East Douglas Village complex to near-full occupancy, says letting agent Margaret Kelleher of Cohalan Downing who sold the East Douglas Village development in five blocks in '21, with a then rent roll of €760,000. At The Village, the primary focus this All Ireland weekend will be on the bar trade, with a midday Saturday opening planned. Taking over the kitchen and restaurant will be well-known Cork chef Brendan Cashman (Augustines, Ox Kinsale's opening set-up, etc), says Gillian McCarthy, who has a strong background in management and HR, with family connections to the hotel trade, as does business partner Kerry-based Patrick Dillon. She says their new venture 'which has been a long time coming, it's a dream,' will employ up to 20. The previous business in other operator hands ceased by January when The Village closed for a full overhaul, with interior design work done by architects Healy Butler Moffatt: the impact of the changes might be better seen in a week or so once red and white Cork flags go.
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Almost €16k/acre expected for quality 48a East Cork farm
New to the market with Midleton-based auctioneers Hegarty Properties is a 48-acre farm near the historic village of Cloyne in East Cork. The farm is at Kilboy, immediately to the south of Cloyne — a village equally famous for both its 6th-century round tower and for its hurling heroes (who include Christy Ring and Dónal Óg Cusack). This is part of Munster famous for quality pastures, near Cork City. 'It's a superb landholding,' says selling agent Adrianna Hegarty. 'This is a prime parcel of dry free-draining land laid out in six well-defined divisions bounded by mature hedgerows.' Access to the lands is very good, directly off Church Street via a laneway to the side of the hay shed. 'The land is predominantly arable and suitable for a range of agricultural uses,' adds Adrianna, 'including arable farming and grazing.' The yard with old house and outbuildings on the 48-acre farm at Kilboy, Cloyne. The old derelict farmhouse is located around a yard at the public road entrance to the property, along with a series of stone outbuildings. Both the house and the outbuildings have strong potential for development. 'It's a well-located farm that represents an outstanding opportunity for local farmers, investors or those seeking a unique development project,' says Adrianna. 'In the yard area, there are several traditional stone outbuildings and a hay shed with a lean-to, offering significant potential for renovation or repurposing, subject to the necessary permissions. The derelict structures on site may qualify for available refurbishment or redevelopment grants, further enhancing the appeal for those with a vision for restoration or new residential development.' The property is serviced by an electrical connection and the previous tenant had permission to use county council water. Aerial photo of entrance and farmyard of the 48-acre holding at Kilboy, Cloyne, Co Cork. The location of this property is another very appealing aspect. With Cloyne village just a 5-minute walk away, the busy satellite town of Midleton nearby (8km north) and Cork City Centre about 25km away, it could hardly be better situated for whatever enterprise the next owner gets involved with. The price guide of €750,000 (€15,600/acre) reflects the quality, convenience and location of this quality holding that holds much more potential.
