Private marinas are rare enough in Ireland, and a private marina for a residential property is rarer still.
When the owners of Moys House in Killaloe, Co Clare were designing their home, the list of requirements included a marina that can house four 40ft motor boats.
And rarer still, the marina is completely hidden by a canopy of trees, some of which are more than 200 years old, as the site on which this house sits was once part of Clarisford Palace – the former bishop’s residence, now a holiday home – which lies next door.
Sites were sold off over the years and adjacent lands benefit from old trees giving ample privacy compared with other lakeside homes in the area. The family who live here use the facility “all the time; and sometimes if the weather is good, the boys will be out water-skiing before school starts,” says the owner, who is downsizing.
From the waterside, the property is more than three storeys tall giving super views of the surrounding areas from a triple-aspect tower. Extending to a very generous 595sq m (6,405sq ft) there is buckets of room in the property, which was designed by local architect Ted Joyce.
On one side, part of the property is just single storey as it was designed to fit into the natural incline of the land. It has seven bedrooms in total, five upstairs and two in the basement, which would work as staff quarters, or indeed a granny flat or teenagers’ den.
In the lower basement lies a recreational area with a gym, and a large space occupied by a table tennis table, and a Jacuzzi/endless swimming pool – the one with a current so you can swim all day to your heart’s content.
Further facilities include an all-weather tennis court and almost 2½ acres of landscaped gardens.
The property was actually two sites and permission was granted – though now lapsed – to construct a second, four-bedroom, house on the grounds so there is precedent for same. There are also vegetable beds that the family have used since the house was constructed almost 20 years ago, where everything from cabbage to blackcurrants allowed the family some self-sufficiency.
The owners will miss the patios, which get the sun for the best part of the day and which are accessed from all the reception rooms and hallway.
But for house hunters it is the marina and leisure facilities that will make boat-owners swoon, as it to have these facilities in such a private setting is exceptional. The property lies on the south side of the bridge and access from Lough Derg is possible under the arches of the bridge in Killaloe.
“There were some bank holiday weekends when we would have friends bring their boats from Glasson to stay for the weekend and we could have about 40 kids and 20 adults here for the entire weekend,” says the owner. The property, which has a Ber of C3, has now been launched on the market through Harry Brann Auctioneers seeking €1.35m.
