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Displaying items by tag: James Gandon

#WATERFRONT PROPERTY - Two exclusive waterside homes, representing two distinct eras in Irish property, have come to the market in recent weeks, both with an asking price of €800,000.

Lakeside House in Barrymore, Co Roscommon is a spacious detatched house on the shores of Lough Ree in an exclusive residential area just minutes from the amenities of Athlone.

Built in 2002 by the current owners and set on a mature wooded site with an overall floor area of 385 square metres, accommodation comprises an entrance hall, a drawing room with marble fureplace, a living room with french doors to the deck, a sun room with domed ceiling, a fully fitted kitchen/breakfast room with marble style worktops and a utility room, plus a games room and bar.

The first floor features five bedrooms including a master bedroom, all en suite, with a separate bathroom with Jacuzzi bath. A sixth en suite bedroom is located on the ground floor.

Outside, tiled patios surround the house on three sides, with a large deck area featuring a hot tub, picnic table and seating. The gardens extend to the water's edge with a private pier and landing stage with access to fishing and sailing on Lough Ree and the River Shannon.

Lakeside House is for sale by private treaty through Finnegan Menton. See more details on this property HERE.

Meanwhile, in Co Clare, Abbey House is a charming family home built in 1770 to a design by the famed architect James Gandon.

Set on more than three acres of gardens next to St Flannan's Cathedral in Killaloe, Abbey House is typical of the Georgian era, comprising three reception rooms, a large country kitcten, five/six bedroom (two en suite), a large bathroom, plus a cloakroom and laundry room.

The house was restored in the 1980s but many of its period featured were retained, such as the 18th-century Wyatt windows to the front, and the original joinery throughout.

Outside is a large courtyard with outbuildings, leading to the stone walled garden and orchard surrounding the house that provides considerable privacy, not to mention the canal bank (leased from Waterways Ireland) that runs parallel to the River Shannon.

Abbey House is for sale by private treaty through joint agents Knight Frank and Harry Brann. See more details on this property HERE.

Published in Waterfront Property

Irish Sailing Classes and Association – There’s no shortage of one-design classes from which to choose and each gives its enthusiasts great competition, fun and camaraderie, writes Graham Smith in this review of the classes. 

One-design racing is where it all starts. It is, after all, where all the top sailors earned their stripes, battling away for line honours without a thought for a handicapper’s calculator wiping away a hard-fought victory!

Indeed, you could count on less than one hand the number of top Irish sailors who didn’t cut their teeth in a one-design dinghy! Just think of Cudmore, Barrington, Watson, Wilkins, Hennessy and Dix to name a few and you realise that they honed their skills in everything from Enterprises to Lasers and a lot in between.

At present count, there are a little over 30 one-design classes in Ireland, split almost evenly between dinghies and keelboats, a statistic which might raise a few eyebrows. They range from the long-established Mermaids, IDRA14s and Dragons to the newer additions like Fevas, Topaz and RS Elite. They all fill a particular need and give their owners and crews considerable enjoyment.

Many have attracted their World or European Championships to Irish waters over the years and while 2009 is notable for a lack of such events here, the following year will see the Etchells Worlds at Howth and perhaps a few other international regattas too.

In addition to the review, we asked each class to complete a questionnaire giving details of their fleet numbers, whether they were on a growth pattern or holding their own, so we could highlight those ‘on the up’ and those remaining static in terms of numbers. The older traditional designs, as you might imagine, fall into the latter category, although that’s not a negative!

CLASS REVIEW  The State of the Classes – League Table (as at February 2009)

S = Static; U = Up/growing

275     Optimist   U

200+   Laser   S

189     Mermaid   S

160     Flying Fifteen   S

130     RS Feva   U

115     Shannon One Design    U

100+   Mirror   S

100+   Topper   U

99       Topaz   U

94       Laser SB3   U

87       GP14   U

85       Squib   S

70       Fireball   S

70       Ruffian   S

60       J24   S

60       Shipman   S

52       Dragon   S

50       RS400/200   S

50       420    U

43       Multihulls    U

42       Dragon    S

40       Water Wags    U

40       Wayfarer    S

34       IDRA14    U

33       Puppeteer    U

28       Etchells    S

27       E-Boat    U

26       Glen    S

25       Enterprise    S

18       Sigma 33    S

18       Howth 17    U

13       RS Elite    U