Ahead of the curve at seaside Malahide
Three-storey neo-Georgian house takes in views of Lambay Island and Paddy’s Hill, writes Alison Gill
Robswalls, Malahide
Co Dublin
Asking price: €750,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald (01) 845 44500
MALAHIDE is the kind of village that you’re born into for life. Not many leave, and if they do, they do whatever it takes to get back in. Adults who grew up there want the same for their children. And who could blame them? With renowned beaches and a marina at weekends, it’s heaving with joggers, coffee lovers, churchgoers, cricket fanatics and envious daytrippers. It’s got boutiques, gyms, pilates studios, gourmet delis, craft butchers and antique shops.
When boom times hit, big names moved here. Celebs and the newly moneyed bought in the plush Abington development, where homes were selling for between €2m and €4m. Ronan Keating and his then wife Yvonne Connolly bought the showhouse, soon followed by another boyband crooner Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina. In 2013, footballer Robbie Keane snapped up a bargain at the development when he and his wife Claudine bought a house for €1.6m.
A few years later, development at the coastal site of Robswall began. The Crescent was built by Gannon Homes in 2007 and homes came to the market with a price tag of €1.2m. The terrace of three-storey neo-Georgian homes curves along the road. Anyone familiar with Marino Crescent in Clontarf will wonder if they were styled on the old crescent where Bram Stoker was born. Or perhaps the architect was influenced by London terraces like Egerton or Chalcot Crescents.
Robswall has grown in the intervening years, with Hollybrook Homes still building on the 40-acre site that is now full of houses, apartments and duplexes, launched in several different phases over the years.
The setting is on the coast road between Malahide and Portmarnock, about 1.5km outside Malahide village. A walk to the Dart station would take about 20 minutes or for wet mornings the 102 bus stops at the entrance to Robswall.
These three-storey homes have an edge when it comes to aspect. Their height means taking in views of Lambay Island and Paddy’s Hill. The street is very wellkept and each house has a small front garden with wrought iron fence and shrubbery.
No 30 The Crescent has just come on the market with a price tag of €750,000. Beyond the red door at No 30 is a chequered black and white tiled hallway. To the right is the dining room with solid timber floors and gas fire. Straight ahead is the kitchen with Shaker-style units. There is a breakfast bar that could fit four, the worktops are granite and there is a built-in oven and hob. Doors open out to the rear garden. This has a cobblelock patio and a lawn that is in need of a little tlc. There is a utility room that is plumbed for a washing machine and dryer, and a guest WC off the hall.
On the second floor is the main living room. With its ceiling rose, picture rails and coving, this room wouldn’t look out of place in a genuine Georgian home. Two large windows fill the room with light and the marble fireplace has a gas fire inset.
There are two bedrooms on this floor. One has an ensuite bathroom and the other would be ideal for a home office or cosy study.
On the third floor there are three more bedrooms. The master is at the front of the house to take full advantage of the sea views. It has built-in wardrobes and the ensuite has a walk-in shower and heated towel rail. There is a separate bathroom on this level too with a freestanding bath. The house is heated by gas-fired central heating and has a BER rating of B3.
New owners will have little to do when they move in. There could be the temptation to knock walls and make certain rooms bigger, but it works as it currently stands.
It may not be in the centre of Malahide but residents of Robswall have a well-worn path into the village, where a vast array of restaurants and pubs are waiting to serve. The best known amongst them is probably Oliver Dunne’s Bon Appetit. Dunne was only 28 when he won a Michelin star. After eight years though, the chef decided to ditch the much-coveted award. He no longer wanted his restaurant to be seen as only a special occasion venue, but as a neighbourhood restaurant that suited every taste.
He still cooks up a storm in the kitchen with the main dining room serving impressive plates like Potato Gnocchi, Muscat Pumpkin and Parmesan Cream, Poached Egg, Walnut Pesto with Sage Crisps. But downstairs there is now a tapas bar with full cocktail menu.
The other Malahide institution is Gibney’s Bar. If proof was needed that families never want to leave the seaside town, it’s here in the pub that’s in the hands of the fifth generation.
James Joseph Gibney bought the pub for £2,500 in 1937 and it’s still a firm favourite with the locals.
Families looking to get their foot back in the door to Malahide could do worse than investing in No 30 The Crescent, which is on the market with a guide price of €750,000 through selling agents Sherry FitzGerald (01 845 4500).