Long Lake House in Sneem: stunning, stylish, idyllic

BILLED as one of the most expensive and most unique homes in Kerry, the idyllic Long Lake House in Tahilla, Sneem has come on the market for €3.25m.

Long Lake House is a three-storey architecturally designed house which was originally constructed by a mystery German millionaire who led a team of designers to create this residence, which is finished to an extremely high spec. It took three years to construct in the 1980’s.

The house, which is between Kenmare and Sneem, has its own private views of the sea and various balconies from which to enjoy the tranquil setting.

It is 10,000 sq ft. in size and the interior is largely floored in marble and granite and there’s underfloor heating throughout. The accommodation, five bedrooms, are arranged around a huge central atrium with a mahogany and brass staircase running from the ground floor to the top of the house and lit by Persian onyx windows and top lights. The master bathroom, with separate toilet room, has the Blue Pearl granite and Villeroy Boch quarter round jacuzzi bath with overhead shower. A laundry chute leaves here to the ground floor laundry.

There is a Games Room, a library, a Piano hall complete with a full sized grand piano and a flagstone gym which leads out on to its own deck, a sauna and an 8-person steam room.

Outdoors there is 13 acres of gardens include ponds, walks, a cedar-built staff cabin, a private pier, its own pontoon and mooring and even its own lake. There is also a separate three car garage.

Long Lake was offered for sale in 1991 by its second owner, a British businessman, with a price tag of €5m (IR£4m). It remained on the international market for 10 years before changing hands in 2001 at a price variously reported as being between €1.5m and €2.5m. The buyer was its current owner, a Tipperary-born businessman based in San Francisco.

Contact Elaine Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly, 34 Henry Street, Kenmare, Co Kerry Phone: 064 6641213.