Lugdine Park, the beloved west Cork home of Irish screen legend Maureen O'Hara, has sold for about €1.6 million.
The scenic coastal home on 35 acres was placed on the market in October last year with an asking price of €2.3 million after O’Hara, now aged 95, moved permanently to the US to be close to her family.
The buyers are a UK based couple with family connections to Cork, who plan to use Lugdine as a holiday home. In a heartfelt statement Ms O'Hara told The Irish Times: "I have so many happy memories of Lugdine Park. I will cherish them my whole life and so with a smile I pass the home on to a lucky family who will love her as much as I do. They have the most wonderful neighbours a person can hope for in Glengarriff. I can never fully express my gratitude for their kindness and the special place each of them holds in my heart. It's a lovely village filled with wonderful people who are so proud of this magical piece of heaven. She is with me always in my heart."
According to selling agent Roseanne deVere Hunt of Sherry FitzGerald Country Estates, the price achieved for Lugdine Park – a third below the original asking price – more accurately reflects the strong market among UK expats for picturesque locations in west Cork.
She adds that interest in the area has been heightened by the strong sterling exchange rate. "Because of its proximity to Cork airport we are more likely to be competing with Cornwall as a holiday home location than other parts of Ireland. "
Surrounded by woodland, Lugdine Park overlooks Glengarriff Bay with its own private island in the foreground and the Cork/ Kerry mountains in the distance. O'Hara, who is best known for her performance opposite John Wayne in The Quiet Man in 1952, bought Lugdine Park with her late husband Charles Blair in 1970 and lived there on and off until 2005 when she took up permanent residence there.
