Green-minded Westmeath home saves energy in more ways than one
LURGAN is one of the smallest townlands in Co Westmeath. At the time of the 1901 census, there were only five households in it, and confusingly for the neighbours, three of them were occupied by people named Seery. What was worse, two of them were elderly men called John Seery. The people of Lurgan must have been forever thinking up ways to be more specific about whom they meant when they were gossiping.
There are a lot more houses in Lurgan today, rural population decline notwithstanding. Its attraction is its proximity to Lough Ree and to the picturesque village of Glasson, both about four kilometres away, as well as the fact that it’s 10 minutes’ drive from the M6 motorway at Athlone.
One of the newcomers to the townland is a sizeable dormer bungalow that was built in the early 2000s to be both energy-efficient and energy-restoring.
For the green-minded, it has underfloor central heating and high-grade insulation, with an energy rating of B3. That energy efficiency is a mercy because there is 3,140 sq ft to heat. There’s also a 5,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system, and a polytunnel on the grounds where a person might cultivate their own organic kale.
The restorative features, meanwhile, include a sauna and a twin Jacuzzi bath, although better not get into those after eating the kale.
There are four bedrooms on the first floor of the house, two en suite and one with a walk-in wardrobe. A fifth bedroom, also with an en suite, is downstairs.
Also on the ground floor there’s a living room with double doors to an open-plan kitchen, dining room and sunroom. There’s a separate sitting room too for seclusion.
The garden is nicely planted with flowerbeds, specimen trees and paths, and there’s a deck and patio and a detached garage
The agent is Sherry FitzGerald O’Meara (0906) 475 500 and the asking price is €425,000.