luxury properties for sale Cork, Ireland

An extremely attractive and magical 18th-century castle gloriously positioned within private parkland that enjoys a prominent position overlooking the sea and up the estuary to Courtmacsherry Bay and just an 18-minute drive from fashionable Kinsale town. In all about 56 acres (23 Hectares). 6-receptions, 9-bedrooms, 6-bathrooms. Pastoral views over undulating countryside combine gloriously with expansive sea views to give impressive and panoramic vistas from the castle and grounds. A tree lined avenue provides a magical approach, from where a stone arch leads to an inner courtyard. Attractive stone walls providing an extremely pleasant aesthetic. The house is presented in superb condition and is simply magical, the symmetrical five-bay original Georgian house wonderfully augmented by the 19th-century castellated tower and battlemented parapet walls to create a beautifully attractive and fun house. The accommodation is well laid out and updated to readily allow comfortable living, seamlessly incorporating modern convenience whilst retaining fantastic historical character. The reception rooms are impressive with large windows and generous ceiling heights and link excellently to allow superb entertaining yet are each of a scale to be comfortable. The generous kitchen with the wonderfully large table is a great space and superbly designed to allow congenial informal gathering for family and guests. There are ample bedroom suites, and the first-floor sunroom conservatory is exceptional. Ivy-clad and of local cut stone the outbuildings blend seamlessly into the castellated surroundings and include 3-stables and a 3-bedroom lodge. The gardens and grounds are glorious. Extremely private and sheltered but with excellent sea views still afforded. A blend of formal terraces and manicured lawns within the immediate gardens into less formal gardens and the wider parkland works superbly. The use of manicured pathways throughout the parkland working extremely well to seamlessly link the gardens to the wider lands and providing highly useable walks. The outer coastal lands very much connect the estate to the sea and provide some lovely private coves and beaches. Coolmain beach is noted for its pristine powdery sand. Overall, the various component parts of the estate all combine to present a truly magical and attractive circa 56-acre estate. Coolmain Castle has a rich and magical provenance and has been home to the Disney family for the past 35-years. Purchased by Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney and vice-charman of the Walt Disney Company, in 1989 and comprehensively restored and updated Coolmain Castle has been meticulously maintained ever since. Notable owners before the Disney’s have included The Honourable Henry Boyle Bernard, Thomas Wyse, Hibernicus Scott, the novelist Donn Byrne, photographer Bob Willougby ‘the man who virtually invented the photojournalistic motion picture still’ and most recently and fittingly the Disney family. Dating to the early 18th-century a magical fusion of various additions and amendments in keeping with changing architectural fashions over the preceding centuries presents a wonderfully textured and layered architecture that combined with the gloriously coloured local stone walls and being positioned in an extremely picturesque location, set overlooking the sea, makes Coolmain Castle truly authentic and attractive. Positioned in the scenic and vibrant southwest of Ireland many thriving and bustling nearby coastal towns include popular Kinsale, a popular historic sailing town with a wide selection of fine restaurants, a deep-water harbour and the famed Old Head golf links. Walking trails, golfing and sailing amenity is in abundance. Cork city is within easy reach, just 27-miles or 44-km away and Cork International airport less than a 30-minute drive. The castle can be available fully furnished and with garden tools and equipment included. Quoting Excess €7,500,000.

An attractive 250-acre (100-hectare) parkland estate with Sopwell Hall, an attractive early Georgian country home built in 1745, and the striking Killaleigh Castle, which dates to circa 1590. The estate is situated equidistant of the historic towns of Birr, Roscrea and Nenagh. The nearest small town is Borrisokane, some 5 miles or 8 kilometres away and the nearby village of Ballingarry is 5-minutes driving. The nearest international airport is Shannon, just over an hour driving, and Dublin and Cork airports are around 2-hours driving. Whilst being wonderfully secluded the estate is nearby to town amenities and easily accessible, with the M7 motorway accessible some 12.4 miles or 20 kilometres away. The house is privately and centrally positioned deep within mature parkland that extends to a tree lined perimeter. The castle is unoccupied but largely intact. The accommodation is grand and beautifully executed, with the principal house comprising 14,235 square feet (1,322 square metres) and including 5 principal reception rooms and 10 bedrooms. A studio and 3 estate lodges combine to present an additional 3,424 square feet or 318 square metres. The castles 4,000 square feet or 369 square metres. The stone outbuildings comprise 9,158 square feet or 851 square metres. Built in 1745, to a design attributed to the renowned architect Francis Bindon, Sopwell Hall is imposing yet welcoming and conforms to the best traditions of early Georgian architecture. The house stands three storeys over basement with direct access from the ground and basement levels. The magnificent reception hall, lined with distinctive fluted Doric pilasters and divided by a screen of arches, is spacious and well-proportioned. A morning room, study, drawing room and dining room are each impressive. Displaying the very best features and proportions of fine Georgian architecture each is filled with natural light, has impressive large marble chimneypieces with open fires and ornate cornicing. A feature of the entire house is the abundance of natural light with ample tall and large glazed windows. The lower level includes a sitting room or den, a large kitchen, wine cellar, laundry and staff apartment. A broad carved staircase leads to a generously large landing on the main bedroom floor. Impressive architecturally, there are six matching scagliola sienna marble columns and a large, perfectly proportioned domed ceiling, with a glazed atrium. There are 5 principal bedrooms and 4 bathrooms on this floor. The Master Bedroom Suite occupies the south-eastern corner. The second floor provides 5 further bedrooms and a bathroom and has a games room and study. A Studio , positioned in the adjacent courtyard , comprises some 660 square feet or 61 square metres. The estate is a haven of tranquillity and privacy that is rare in the 21st-century. Positioned at the end of a half-mile drive Sopwell Hall occupies a central position within its own estate and enjoys a panoramic view over the park and woodland. The outer parts of the estate comprising a perimeter woodland belt and creating a great sense of privacy and seclusion. Among the many ancient and specimen trees throughout the estate are some particularly fine Spanish chestnut, a noted ancient beech wood and a rare Siberian crab-apple tree. The woodlands include indigenous oak, beech, ash, larch and spruce. All through the year there is a kaleidoscope of colour throughout the estate. There is, too, much wildlife to be found on the estate. Red squirrels, pine martens, foxes and hares are regularly sighted, and buzzards, owls and falcons can also be found. The Coillte forestry, circa 500 acres, which adjoins the estate provides great amenity with access to long walk ing trails in beautiful surroundings. Of the circa 25 0 - acres or 1 01 hectares within the estate about 100-acres is in woodland . Additional circa 50-acres grassland available.