Jason O’Callaghan bought his home at 90 South Lotts Road back in December 2006, paying in the region of €700,000 for the terraced house. Although it was in good condition, and owned by an architect, Jason went on to spend a further €150,000 between stamp duty, restoration and decoration.
“I wanted to bring the house up to a very high standard,” he says.
Among the changes Jason made were introducing black-and-white marble tiles into the entrance hall, which leads to a sitting room and on to an adjoining dining area. He put in a solid wood galley kitchen with fitted units and black granite work surfaces, off which there is a small courtyard garden with enough room for a table, chairs and barbecue. There is also a guest bathroom on the ground floor.
Upstairs, Jason turned one of the three bedrooms into a fine family bathroom, with a slipper bath and walk-in shower. There are two double bedrooms on the first floor, both with restored fireplaces, and striking red-and-white Victorian-style Farrow & Ball wallpaper in both the bathroom and one of the bedrooms.
Jason also commissioned the spiral staircase which leads to the third bedroom – in the converted attic – and the cityscape mural on the wall of that room. In the past year, he has installed new sash windows throughout.
When Jason undertook the work on No 90, he worked as a journalist with the Sunday Independent. He had parallel success as a singer but, in a career volte face, took a psychology degree followed by a master’s in applied psychology in Trinity. Now he and his wife, Carina Kelleher, a paediatric dietician at Crumlin Hospital, own and run the D4 Clinic in Blackrock, Co Dublin, which specialises in clinical hypnotherapy to help clients who wish to stop smoking, lose weight and conquer their fear of flying, among other issues.
Not that Jason has entirely forsaken the world of showbiz – he still performs at weddings and parties as a comedy hypnotist, with a show that includes elements of magic, pickpocketing and mentalism.
Jason and Carina lived at 90 South Lotts Road until a couple of years ago but say the birth of their third child propelled them out of the city in search of a home with a garden.
“I loved living at South Lotts,” says Jason. “I renovated the house when I was a single man and the ease of access to the city centre, Docklands and Sandymount was brilliant. I think it is probably the best part of the city to live in.”
In the course of the refurbishment work, Jason learned something about the history of the houses on the terrace.
“The houses were all built by the Glass Bottle Company for their staff when the Liffey walls were constructed and the marshland drained. From the 1911 census, I could see that the people living there were bottle blowers and the like. James Connolly lived a few doors down the road.”
These days, property in South Lotts Road is in demand from people working for the tech and other businesses based in the Docklands who like the convenience of living so close to their offices as well as the proximity to bars and restaurants such as The Bath, The Old Spot, The Chop House, Junior’s and Paulie’s, and everyone’s favourite grocer, Lotts & Co.
For the past couple of years, since Jason and Carina moved to Blackrock, No 90 has been rented out as a corporate let. The rent is €2,750 per month, and the house may be of interest to an investor – all the furniture is included in the sale. There is off-street parking for two cars.
No 90 originally came to the market back in January, priced at €635,000. The price was reduced last month.
Era: Early 20th century
Size: 92sqm
Agent: Madden Property Consultants (01) 876 1770
Viewing: By appointment
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