The Cow House on Blackberry Lane in Rathmines is the remaining building on the Lissenfield estate in Rathmines, Dublin 6. The former outbuilding has been converted and extended over the years, taking it a long way from its days as a home to two cows.
The property is owned by the Mulcahy family who first moved into Lissenfield for security reasons in the 1920s after the assassination of Michael Collins. Richard Mulcahy was Collins’s right-hand man and chief of staff of the Free State Army, and it was thought that this Rathmines house would be a safe place for the general and his family given its proximity to Portobello Barracks.
The family remained in the house until the late 1980s, and now the former Cow House is in the hands of the commander’s grandson, Richard Mulcahy. He has fond memories of growing up in the big house with his mother and his father, the acclaimed cardiologist Risteárd Mulcahy.
Lissenfield itself was sold in the 1980s and redeveloped as an apartment complex. The Cow House was the only part of the estate that the family held on to. It was a building that always fascinated the young Richard, so he was keen to hang on to it.
“I remember my dad drove the last two cows out of there, down Camden Street and on to the abattoir in 1954. It was derelict until the 1970s but I always thought it would be a great den of iniquity for me and my friends,” he says, laughing.
Richard and his friends spent years setting up their den for parties, and gradually added to it over the years with floors, a spiral staircase and eventually a new extension to the side.
Now the city mews, with a floor area of 86sq m (925sq ft) has been fully renovated and redecorated and is on the market through Turley Property Advisors for €745,000.
It is hidden away behind gates on Blackberry Lane, just off Rathmines Road Lower. The old stone building is on one side of the front door and the newer redbrick is on the other, with Virginia Creeper concealing the difference between the two.
Once inside it’s difficult to tell the old from the new as the decor is traditional throughout. To the left of the hallway is the kitchen, which is fitted with country-style cabinets. The main bathroom is straight ahead and the livingroom to the right. This cosy room with timber beams has the original chimney breast and hearth with a more modern stove now in place.
A spiral staircase takes you upstairs, with tiny vertical windows, which would have been ventilation slits in the barn, lighting the way. The first bedroom is in the original building and has the old stone walls and a small bathroom. The second bedroom, although newer, is just as charming, with timber beams on the ceiling and steps down to a small reading nook that has views out to the copper dome of Rathmines church.
Outside is a fully enclosed courtyard that has been extensively planted and has recently acquired a west-facing dining area under a covered pergola.
Planning permission was twice granted for a two-storey extension off the livingroom, but it has since lapsed. There is parking for one car inside the gates and two permit parking places in the laneway. A car in this part of town is not a necessity however, as Rathmines and Ranelagh are on the doorstep, and St Stephen’s Green is about 15 minutes away on foot.
Richard, who runs the 100 Million Trees Project with his siblings Tina and David, tracks his passion for planting back to the early days of Lissenfield.
“We planted all the trees in Lissenfield. My dad would point to where he’d want them and I dug the holes,” he remembers fondly.
It will be emotional for Richard to let go of the Cow House and the remaining link to Lissenfield, but one generation of the family is too old to take it on, and the other too young. He is philosophical about the sale, however, as the family say goodbye to this unique property.
“What is it they say – learn to live, learn to love, learn to let go – that’s how it feels,” he says.
