A harpist’s house on the outskirts of Celbridge is a symphony of light and subtle washes of colour.
When the owners of Alderwood bought the property, its builder-owner had expanded it to 215 square metres of space.
Set on half an acre of grounds that run down to the Pausdeen stream, a tributary of the River Liffey, it also had a B3 Ber rating.
Address: Alderwood, 180 Newtown, Celbridge, Co.Kildare, W23DE0E
Asking price: €750,000,
Agent: DNG Lucan
The living space is light-filled from the entrance hall back, says the owner, a harpist who plays with the Misneach Orchestra, an Irish traditional music ensemble that comprises more than 50 top-class musicians with roots in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Leixlip and Kildare.
She set about decorating and furnishing the place. She employed carpenter Aisling Grainger to create radiator covers, and in the living room, she built cabinetry and panelling.
Her work included a bar with built-in lit shelving and a glasses rack.
There are secret compartments to hide the streaming box, hdmi and other cabling. All of this is painted in Bone China blue, also Little Greene.
This room leads through to the kitchen, where the harpist plumped for Yellow Pink, a strong mustard shade from Little Greene for the kitchen island, while the rest of the room is painted in a pale Portland Stone by the same paint company.
There is a trio of copper-coloured lights over the island.
Off the kitchen is the garden room, where you can soak up the rays or amble outside and park yourself on the patio.
The garden includes a tree house for the kids, a detached shed and extends down to the stream
The house can be configured as a three-bedroom plus playroom cum music room or as a four-bedroom property.
These rooms are to the front.
Each of her three children has their own bedroom, and she uses one as her music room.
This is the room that the harp is in. It’s an instrument she has played all her life.
“There is a beauty to the sound of the harp,” she says, explaining what first drew it to her. “It is also part of our national identity.”
It has been a heraldic symbol of Ireland since the 13th century.
A heritage town, Celbridge is home to the Castletown Demense and is the birthplace of Arthur Guinness, whose signature appears on the black stuff’s branding along with a harp that is based on a medieval design.
The so-called Brian Boru harp is on display in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin.
There is ample off-street parking, electric gates for privacy and an EV charger.
The property is located less than two kilometres from the centre of Celbridge and about four kilometres from the train station at Hazelhatch and Celbridge.
DNG Lucan is seeking €750,000 for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom semi-detached property.
