Gracious living in commuter belt

Back in 1963, the parents of one of the owners of Raheen bought a farm known as Raheen House, and subsequently gave a site on the land to each of their children.

In 2003, their daughter and her husband, who is in the construction business, together with their architect, Derek White, a Newbridge native, secured planning permission to build a large family home on their site, beginning construction in 2005. The house was completed in 2006.

Over the years the siblings have all built houses on the sites that they were given, and all still live within a four-mile radius of one another.

As well as having a construction company and a coffee shop in Blanchardstown, the current owners are part-time cattle farmers, who rent land on which to graze their animals in different areas.

As Raheen does not have land of its own beyond an acre of garden, and as the number of cattle that they own has increased significantly, they are now selling with the intention of buying a farm of their own where they can consolidate all their stock in the one place. They hope to stay in the area.

The current owners briefed their architect to orientate Raheen on the site that they were given so that the back of the house faced west, and to configure the internal layout in such a way that a large open-plan kitchen / breakfast / sun-room would be the focus of family life.

“We wanted to make the most of the west-facing orientation to the rear,” the vendors explained, “and it is really lovely to sit in this room or out on the patio on summer evenings and watch the sun set. Our architect designed the space with a substantial load-bearing beam so that there would not have to be any walls. It really is our number one room – at Christmas and on St Stephen’s Day all the family come to us and we might have anything up to 40 people here; we love entertaining and this space makes it a pleasure.”

Also on the ground floor is a family room, drawing room, formal dining room and home office/ study, plus a utility room and guest lavatory.

Upstairs, the house has five double bedrooms. Four of these are en suite, and there is also a family bathroom. There is double-glazing and underfloor heating throughout the house, as well as solar panels and a pellet-burner central heating system.

Outside there is a two-storey double garage with remote-control shutter doors.

Another feature of Raheen that comes into its own on summer evenings is the dramatic pergola and reflecting pool in the garden, overlooked from the kitchen /sunroom.

“It really is sensational in the summer when the flowers are in bloom,” say the owners.

The landscaped gardens are planted with upwards of 100 different types of trees and shrubs, and are maturing beautifully.

Rathcoffey is, say the owners, a tight-knit community with a focus on the local GAA club, which recently fund-raised for a walkway and a coffee shop of its own.

“It’s not a huge area, but it’s very neighbourly,” they say.

Most children in the locality go to the local school, a kilometre from the house, and then on to secondary school in either Maynooth or Clane. Others board at the fee-paying Clongowes Wood College, which is a short drive away.

Maynooth has the best selection of shops in the area, and a fine range of cafes and restaurants, including Picaderos, the vendors’ favourite spot for dinner, and L’Art du Chocolat, where locals enjoy great coffee, excellent patisserie and exquisite chocolate made by hand on the premises.

In terms of commuting, Dublin is 31km away, and the airport 39km.

Era: 2006

Size: 400sqm

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes (01) 237 6300

Viewing: By appointment

Source: Read Full Article