Mercy Convent sold at auction in 'actor central' West Cork village for €840,000
Auction A Sold For Forde Private Convent Setting: Agents At Schull €840,000 Blessed Via Hodnett
A WEST Cork convent building in a chi-chi seaside village 'anointed' by Olivier award winner and Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has just changed hands, for €840,000.
Sold this Wednesday afternoon at private auction was the Mercy Convent Schull, a five-bedroomed house on 1.6 acres, just above Main Street and is likely to have some development potential.
Schull - which has its own film festival - is favoured as a holiday base by actors Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal who've bought homes recently in the Ballydehob/Schull area.
Saoirse Ronan bought in a remote setting by the sea over two years ago and in 2022 the suddently superstar actor Paul Mescal bought a more rural-set base, understood to have two older-era modest sized houses on it.
It's also considered a blessed location on the Wild Atlantic Way by many, including boat owners, and wealthy island inhabitants: the private Horse Island sold to an overseas buyer three years ago for €4.8 million.
The coastal village's Mercy Convent went to the open market in November via private treaty with a €750,00 guide via agents Hodnett Forde and after expressions of interest from five parties it went to private auction in O’Donovan’s Hotel in Clonakilty this Wednesday afternoon.
Four parties attended and only two made bids. It was bought in a company’s name, said auctioneer John Hodnett.
The sale severs the last link between Schull and the Mercy Order, who opened a primary school on the Mizen Peninsula in 1904 and who subsequently built a school, taking some up to Leaving Cert level, in 1921.
At least one of the interested parties considered the purchase as a private residence.
The 3,100 sq ft property used as a convent for decades has some harbour views and may have scope for a small townhouse development. Sources close to the buyers, who are active buying in the Munster market on other site and who have interest in modular construction - said they had residential development in mind for it.