RTÉ crime drama Love/Hate was such a ratings juggernaut when it first aired 10 years ago that many will still have a clear memory of drug kingpin John Boy’s vast and glamorous penthouse apartment with its views over a twinkly night-time Dublin.
Such was the connection that when it has come up for sale before – as part of a portfolio of 14 apartments in the Granary development – the TV link tends to be highlighted by the agents and so it is again now that number 15 The Granary in Drumcondra is for sale through Owen Reilly asking €1.2 million.
The Granary is located between Richmond Road and Distillery Road in Dublin 3, overlooking Croke Park to the south and is within comfortable walking distance of the city centre.
The stone building was the former Dublin Whiskey Distillery and many of the original features have been preserved and exposed so that all the apartments – with their open spaces, exposed brick walls and large windows – have an urban, industrial loft-like feeling.
The penthouse was added on top of the four-storey property during the former industrial building’s redevelopment and its 300 sq m (3,500 sq ft) allows for possibly one of the largest living rooms – at 1,800 sq ft – in any apartment in the city.
It has three double bedrooms – all en suite, a family bathroom, and a spacious entrance hall. The ceilings are 3.3m high – adding to the lofty feeling – and the floors are mostly walnut. A high-gloss kitchen is incorporated into the living space and there are also contemporary style gloss finish wardrobes in the bedroom.
It’s the views though that will strike most potential buyers first – of Croke Park, the city roof tops, local parks, and over to the mountains – and the design with its walls of floor-to-ceiling glazing takes full advantage of those vistas.
The last time it was for sale in 2020, as part of a portfolio, the asking price for the 14 apartments was €5 million and it was suggested at the time that so vast was the penthouse buyers might apply for planning permission to divide it into three apartments.
That hasn’t happened. Though that’s not to say that buyers this around won’t want to do some work. The BER is a D1 which suggests that at the very least some energy efficiencies could be explored. There is an annual service charge of about €3,000 and the penthouse comes with parking for two cars.
