A heritage house that once stabled fabled racehorse Nijinsky, or an A-rated house on enough lands to keep horses in its American-style barn, which Kildare home would you put your money on?
For many, Co. Kildare is fast-becoming part of Dublin’s commuter belt.
But for many others, it is the thoroughbred county, home to breeders, trainers and renowned racecourses at the Curragh, Punchestown and Naas.
According to a Deloitte 2023 report produced for Horse Racing Ireland, Irish racing and breeding’s total expenditure was estimated to be €2.46 billion, with over 30,000 people employed, mainly in rural communities.
In Co. Kildare, the industry generated €557 million in expenditure and provides 4,535 jobs, according to the 2022 data used to write the paper.
The county was then home to 744 breeders and 76 trainers.
Ireland’s equivalent of Newmarket, the Curragh, on the outskirts of Newbridge, is the headquarters of flat racing.
Home to black type horses, it is also home to many fine residences, a mix of heritage and contemporary.
Here are two contrasting styles:
Period property a few lengths from the Curragh
Address: Thornton Lodge, Ballysax, The Curragh, Co. Kildare, R56TA44
Asking price: €600,000
Agent: Byrne Malone
This former stable building was built circa 1780 and renovated around 1840 and again in the mid-1990s.
The detached five-bay two-storey Ber-exempt property has four bedrooms and three bathrooms and is within a couple of lengths of The Curragh, an unenclosed grassland that extends to almost twenty square kilometres.
Its owners say that for a short spell, the racehorse Nijinsky was stabled in the yard that used to form part of the house.
The Canadian-bred colt, trained in Ireland by Vincent O’Brien, is considered one of the greatest European flat racehorses of the 20th century.
His debut came in July 1969 at the Curragh, where he won a maiden by three lengths, and he carved his place in history in 1970 by becoming the last horse to win the British Triple Crown of the 2000 Guineas, Derby, and St Leger.
The house is unusual in that the stable yard buildings visible in some shots to either side are not part of the property and have previously been sold.
Thornton Hall has only a very modest back that extends to about six metres with about 60 sq metres to the front.
All of the rooms at the entrance level are dual aspect.
There is a separate kitchen, with a pantry, utility and guest w.c off it.
On the far side of the entrance hall is a dining room, drawing room and sitting room. All of these interconnect.
Upstairs, the principal bedroom is above the kitchen, and the other three are on the other side of the stairs. There are two full bathrooms at this level.
The property extends to 218 square metres.
A-rated modern farm with stables, barn and outdoor arena
Address: Millfarm, Suncroft, The Curragh, Co. Kildare, Fontstown, Co. Kildare, R56CY20
Asking price: €1,350,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes
Built in 2016, this A3 Ber-rated detached home comes to market with 21 acres of pasture and paddocks bounded by post and rail fencing and beech hedging, an American barn with seven stables and an outdoor sand arena and turnout areas.
The large four-bedroom, four-bathroom detached house extends 393 square metres and is located about halfway between Newbridge and Athy.
The construction used insulating concrete form, highly insulated flooring and roof systems, and underfloor heating and a heat recovery system.
It opens into a large hall where there is a baby grand piano.
There’s a light-filled home office, a large eat-in kitchen with Smeg and Liebherr appliances and a tri-aspect lounge set around an inset stove that leads out to a paved terrace.
It also has a boot room. One imagines it gets a lot of real use.
An open tread, glass-balustraded staircase leads up to the accommodation on the first floor. The principal bedroom opens out to a balcony where you can survey the bloodstock.
It has a large ensuite with a freestanding bath and wet room-style shower.
Other facilities include a floodlit tennis court and a detached studio, currently used as a gym.
There is a 6kw solar PV panel unit on the southern part of the roof.
