A 19TH CENTURY house in Glandore, west Cork, that was the subject of a bidding war in 1999, is back on the market for less than it made 11 years ago.
US-based Irishman Séan Downes and his American artist wife Alisanne Zoellner made headlines in 1999 when they snatched Glandore House, a former convent overlooking Glandore Harbour, from under the noses of seven other bidders for £1.985 million (€2.5 million).
Alisanne says they felt as if they’d “won” the house and were relieved that none of the local “big fish”– like neighbour, former Independent News and Media chief executive Tony O’Reilly – “swam in” to push the house out of their budget.
They moved in with their two young children in time for the millennium and lived there for seven years, refurbishing a good portion of the three-storey house, although parts of the ground and third floor need to be finished. The couple have since divorced and Alisanne is the sole owner. Now living on Block Island, Rhode Island, she is reluctantly selling it for financial reasons and because “it’s time to let go”.
Joint agents Knight Frank and Dominic J Daly are now asking €2.05 million for the nine-bedroom property on 24 acres which has a magical view of the harbour.
Built in the early 1800s, the house was converted to a became a convent in 1947, when another storey was added to the original structure.
The house is minutes from the the town, which has a good choice of traditional pubs and restaurants. The original gatehouses were sold off but the property comes with a studio, haybarn, stableyard, tennis courtyard , two walled gardens and a two-bed staff house that needs refurbishment.
Other houses on the market in Glandore include The Old Coachhouse, a three-bed house on five acres with its own boathouse and private slipway with direct access to the harbour asking€2.25 million. Seamark, a Georgian 604sq m (6,500sq ft) house with seven bedrooms and a private mooring is asking €7 million.
