Smartly turned out, this brand-new, A-rated two-bedroom house has a lot going for it. It is within a short walk of a Dart Station, shops, cafes, a hospital, and one of the city’s great coastal amenities.
Bordering Sandymount and Booterstown, the Merrion Gates is a rarefied part of Dublin 4. As a traffic crossing, it regularly makes the traffic bulletins. It’s also the stomping ground of satirical fictitious character, Ross O’Carroll Kelly.
And if he was hoping to give his daughter Honor a leg-up in the world, with a gift to help her buy her first home, say, he’d be delighted if she presented him with number 274 Merrion Road. Nanoseconds from Merrion Strand and a short walk to Booterstown Nature Reserve and Blackrock Park, it's also not that far from Blackrock College, a school he used to love to hate.
Address: 274 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, D04 NVF5
Asking price: €695,000
Agent: Savills
Completed earlier this year, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom A1 BER-rated residence is secreted off Merrion Road, at the end of a short cul-de-sac. The property does not come with parking, which may bring Honor out in hives.
That is, until she realises that Sydney Parade Dart station, a stop that made it into the title of one of her dad's books, is just minutes away, as are the shops of the Merrion Centre, which includes a large Tesco. St. Michael’s College, another rugby school and arch-rival of Blackrock, is right beside the shopping centre.
What Honor will love is the fact that the two-storey house is smartly put together and suitably suburban. It is also detached and extends to 81 square metres. She will also likely point out to her father that the property had first come to the market seeking €750,000 with another agent.
It opens into a hall that steps down to two bedrooms at entrance level, where there is also a good-size utility room, family bathroom and guest W.C.
The primary bedroom opens to a north-west-facing terrace that is bounded by granite walls and raised beds, making it feel really private.
Upstairs is the kicker. The living space is open plan with a corner window framing Merrion Strand views from the dining table.
Below is the railway track carrying Darts north and south from the hours of 6 am to after midnight, Monday to Saturday, with a lie-in until well after 8 am on Sunday mornings. The line is also used for freight traffic to Rosslare Harbour.
Selling agent Harry Angel says you can’t hear the Dart from the bedroom, save for a whoosh sound, as it passes.
There’s a sizeable kitchen with a full-size island upstairs, delineating it from the living area, where there is space to accommodate two sofas facing each other.
Agents Savills is seeking €695,000 for the A1 BER-rated residence.
