Single-minded in Dublin 8
ROMANCE might have flourished at
7 McMahon Street in Dublin 8 back in the early 20th century, and the head of household might have had something to do with it.
At that address on the night of the
1901 census was a widow living with her three unmarried adult children. Her son, aged 22, was a corporation official and she had two daughters, one with no occupation, aged 28, and the other a 24-year-old bookkeeper.
Also staying in the house were two male boarders — a 27-year-old journalist from Armagh and a 29-yearold medical student — both young men with bright futures. They might have been hand-picked for the girls if, for instance, their mother was actively trying to get them off her hands.
At any rate, the six of them shared an intimate space — 7 McMahon Street today is only 969 sq ft and that’s including a more recent extension — so it is to be hoped they must at least have got along.
McMahon Street consists of a double row of identical Victorian bay-windowed cottages just north of Portobello and south of the Meath hospital.
They’re bigger than they look, being split-level.
Number 7 has a paved back garden about 33ft long, with a shed and pedestrian access.
To the right of the entrance hall is the main reception room — the good room — which is a drawing room with a 12ft ceiling, a bay window and a fireplace with a solid-fuel stove.
There’s also a dining room with a mahogany fireplace, and a long fitted kitchen with a door to the garden and an adjoining utility, which is plumbed for a washing machine.
One of the two bedrooms is on the lower floor and the other is upstairs, along with the main bathroom.
The agent is Lisney Leeson Street (01) 662 4511 and the asking price is €550,000.