When Paddock Wood in Killiney came for sale in August of last year, Michael Grehan, of selling agent Sherry FitzGerald, described the sprawling mansion as more akin to what one might find in the hills of Los Angeles than on south Dublin’s most sought-after seaside stretch.
And he wasn’t exaggerating. Set on 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres) of landscaped grounds, the 10,791sq ft (1,000sq m) modernist marvel offered all the proverbial bells and whistles more usually associated with the super-prime properties on the United States TV series Selling Sunset or the BBC’s Crazy Rich Agents: Selling Dream Homes.
From the frameless glazed walls across its three floors, all of which are complemented by vast outdoor terraces to its infinity pool, gym, four-car garage, wine cellar and six-hole golf putting green and bunker, Paddock Wood offered the prospective purchaser a slice of Beverly Hills and Bel Air living within a short stroll of Enya’s castle and U2 lead singer, Bono’s, front door.
With its asking price set just below the €10 million mark – €9.75 million to be precise – however, it was never likely to sell overnight, given the very particular requirements of buyers at the upper end of the residential market.
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As the new selling season gets under way, it would appear that the requirements of one Irish family with suitably deep pockets have been met. It is understood that the sale of Paddock Wood has been completed for a figure in the region of €8.5 million, or some 13 per cent below its original asking price. Sherry FitzGerald declined to comment on the matter, other than to confirm that the property had been sold when contacted by The Irish Times.
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While the details of the sale have yet to appear on the Property Price Register, the sum positions the Killiney mansion as the second most valuable residential sale to have taken place in the Irish market so far this year. Topping that list at present is the recent sale by billionaire businessman Dermot Desmond of his Georgian residence at 71 Merrion Square for €9,246,550.