At the very centre of Ireland
ABOUT three kilometres north of Athlone, and upriver along the Shannon, is a place going by the appealing name of ‘Hill of Berries’, which is widely believed to be the exact centre of Ireland.
A few hundred metres away from Hill of Berries, and hence ever so slightly off-centre, is this large, rambling detached house with its own tennis court.
It’s in the townland of Barry Beg, and although An Post cites its address as Co Westmeath, it’s geographically in Co Roscommon — about 1.3km from the western banks of the River Shannon.
Built in 1999, the house stands at a whopping 3,305 sq ft in a dormer arrangement, and has an adjoining 430 sq ft garage.
The house faces due south-west, with its back to the river, and has five firstfloor bedrooms and three ground-floor reception rooms.
Left of the entrance hall, where there’s an extravagant wooden staircase, is a dual-aspect lounge with a bay window and a gas-fitted fireplace.
Behind this is a family room with a brick fireplace, while straight ahead, at the back of the house, is a dining room with French doors to the back garden.
As well as these three reception rooms there’s also an open-plan kitchen, breakfast room and living room measuring about 28ft by 17ft. It’s dual-aspect as well and has French doors to the side patio.
The master bedroom upstairs has an en-suite shower and walk-in wardrobe, and two of the other four bedrooms share an en-suite.
There’s also a study on the first floor. It’s on three-quarters of an acre and as well as the tennis court there’s a vegetable and herb garden and a water feature.
It’s for sale for €485,000 with Sherry FitzGerald O’Meara (0906) 647 5500.