Off the rails at Lough Derg
Former Co Tipperary railway station house with water frontage, writes Katy McGuinness
THE STATION HOUSE Lakeside Drive, Ballina/Killaloe, Co Tipperary Asking price: €895,000 Agent: Savills, (01) 6634350
House-hunters in the capital, look away now. Even if property price inflation is showing signs of slowing down, even if there are pricedrops in some postcodes, the chances of securing a waterfront property in excellent condition on 0.9 acres of land anywhere in Dublin for less than a million will remain a pipe dream. Not so in other counties like Tipperary where The Station House, a detached family home with 275ft of water frontage is on the market at €895,000. This property is located on the Ballina side of the bridge that links the heritage villages of Ballina and Killaloe and on the southern end of Lough Derg. It’s a 200m walk to the centre of Ballina, in Co Tipperary, and 500m to the centre of Killaloe, which is in Co Clare. As its name suggests, the property had a previous incarnation as the railway station house on the line that ran out from Birdhill, a few miles to the south. The railway service first came to Killaloe in 1862, with the line travelling into Ballina along the east bank of the River Shannon and terminating downstream of the Killaloe Bridge. The service was operated by the Limerick, Castleconnell and Killaloe Railway Company. When the line was extended upstream in 1894 to the other side of the bridge, a new station house, platform and goods shed was built. These were to facilitate passengers from the steamers that brought tourists around the lake, and on down the river to Foyne. The railway service to Killaloe was closed in 1944, and at this time the station house became a private home, with the former goods shed now forming part of the well-known restaurant, Flanagan’s on the Lake. The Station House would formerly have been home to the station master and his family, with the family kitchen, ticket office and waiting room downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs. Now, in this older part of the current house, the ground floor rooms form a large kitchen, with the main bedroom suite in a substantial extension to one side, and a cosy snug/television room, bedroom and bathroom in a smaller extension to the other side. The original two bedrooms have been reconfigured as a bedroom and bathroom suite. A further extension to the front of the property houses the main entrance hall, dining room and study, and links with the drawing room overlooking the water. The current owner bought the house in good condition 23 years ago, and enjoyed putting her own decorative stamp onto the interiors and landscaping the gardens, but did not need to carry out any major work. That said, the property has been updated and redecorated over the years, with the installation of French windows and an Aga range, and stoves in the inner hall and snug. The Station House faces south-west, with views across the river from all of the principal rooms. It now has 2,852 sq ft of living space, and incorporates a former boathouse that’s been reimagined as a sitting room with double bay windows, where one can sit and watch all the passing boats and wildlife. This opens out onto a terrace and steps leading down to the deck — for once appropriate in an Irish context — and The Station House’s own jetty, with room to moor boats; there are also steps down to the water and another former boathouse makes for a summer house. The current owner kept a sport cruiser for many years and enjoyed making regular forays out around the lake, stopping off for lunch in places such as Dromineer, Terryglass and Garrykennedy, and going bird-watching at Mount Shannon. The entrance to The Station House from the road is via cast iron gates and a gravel drive leads to the side of the house, located centrally within the private gardens. There are lawns, mature trees and well-planted borders, with terracing surrounding the house and a hot tub enclosed on three sides by hedging. Lough Derg is of course renowned for all manner of water sports including sailing, water skiing, boating and fishing, and the University of Limerick runs a popular water sports centre open to all. Killaloe has good tennis and GAA clubs, but is primarily known as a rugby village. Former Irish international Keith Wood, who was born and raised here, has put his name to the upmarket restaurant, Wood & Bell, which has a reputation for good fish and organic vegetables grown by Keith’s wife, Nicola. Killaloe has two primary schools and a community college, with the fee-paying Glenstal also convenient. There’s a supermarket, with another due to open in November, but everyone’s favourite is Whelan’s, which sells just about everything. The location is handy for Shannon Airport and the University of Limerick, and five miles from the junction with the M7.