With connections to royalty, a notable Norman property overlooking the River Suir in Co Tipperary has Princess Bride vibes.
In the same family for over 100 years, with parts of it almost 850 years old, and seeking €700k, it comes with land, fishing rights and an island.
Commanding far-reaching views south toward the Knockmealdown Mountains and northwest to the Galtee Mountains, at first glance Ardfinnan Castle looks like something out of a film set.
The fortified castle is also a domestic residence and retains a strong defensive character while offering somewhat habitable interiors that could easily double for the home of the movie villain, Prince Humperdinck, in Princess Bride.
Address: Ardfinnan Castle, Ardfinnan, County Tipperary, E91 A398
Asking price: €700,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes
The property has royal connections.
Parts of the property are almost 850 years old. In effect, the property comprises two castles.
In his bid to conquer Munster, the Earl of Moreton, also known by the title Lord of Ireland, Prince John, who later became King John of England, commissioned the original part of the main property in 1185.
It was one of three strategically positioned sister fortresses whose construction he ordered.
Designed to guard river crossings, the other two are Tybroughney Castle in Co Kilkenny, on the Suir, and Lismore Castle on the Blackwater in Co Waterford.
Set on the River Suir, and extending to about 17 acres, including fishing rights on both banks of the waterway, a historic fishery, and a river island, Ardfinnan is a five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence that has charm aplenty but needs renovation.
Traditional and vernacular building specialist Gary Gleeson was involved in renovation work on the property about a decade ago. Parts of the castle have flat roofs, and these will need attention. There is some water ingress too, but until you open up the walls and floors you cannot put a figure on the cost of the works for it will all need specialist approaches.
Selling agent Oliver Pearson of Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes says that “there is good interest from buyers looking for a legacy home for their children to use as a primary home and to have it for generations”. The current owners, who have been in residence since 1919, might favour this approach.
There are also buyers looking at it for commercial use. Again, costs will come into play.
Tybroughney is available to short-let on Airbnb and gives you some idea of how you might approach this building as a business proposition. A three-night stay there for 10 people for a long weekend in September will cost about €3,800 on the booking platform, excluding fees.
Lismore overlooks the River Blackwater in Co Cork and is the historic Irish home of the Dukes of Devonshire. Walter Raleigh is a former owner. The Book of Lismore was discovered within its walls, and it offers a very fine short-let option that can sleep up to 27 people.
On hand throughout the stay is a butler and cook, and its steep price tag, through Celtic Castles, for the same period of time, is in the region of €48,150. This covers 24 people for accommodation, breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner throughout.
If renovated, Ardfinnan could offer something in between. It had some of the architectural grace of Lismore but is only the size of Tybroughney.
The exterior is impressive, as is the driveway, which itself makes an entrance. A gravel lane with grass growing up through the middle takes you under a wisteria-draped arch to the front of this stone structure.
With steel windows throughout framing the views across the water, there are interior images of only two of the principal rooms.
The dual-aspect drawing room on the first floor has views to Ardfinnan Bridge, a 13-arch road bridge over the River Suir that was rebuilt circa 1800 and is a National Monument.
King John’s preferred room is directly above it. Listed on the floorplan as bedroom three, it is painted a calamine pink and features a baby grand piano. Both rooms have impressive stone chimney pieces.
The property includes an early 13th-century circular keep, attributed to the Knights Hospitaller, forming one of the castle’s most significant surviving defensive features, with the original vaulted ceiling at ground-floor level remaining intact.
Agents Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes are seeking €700,000.
