Lough Derg's A1-rated €1.5m Dún Áine’s very well dun

TALK about a one-off pad...

Lough Derg’s Dún Áine is an entirely embracing home, with twin rounded turrets, lake views, a colourful back story, a guest cottage, quirky bar, Irish wild garden, a ‘British’ lawn, was built by a Dutchman — and has been brought up to 21st century comfort, facilities and makes an extraordinary A1 BER thanks to the input of its current owner, from Bavaria.

“It spoke to me as soon as I saw it,” says Peter Nadler, happily comparing Tipperary’s Lough Derg to Lake Como, Lake Maggiore or an Alpine area lake in his native Bavaria, near Munich and with mountain views.

Only instead, Dún Áine is near Limerick, has views of the Clare mountains and snow’s more or a rarity too. Genial Peter bought here just four years ago having gone on an Irish home hunt, with adult children reared and shortly after the passing of his Maltese-born wife Carmen in 2019.

He says he and his family had fallen in love with Ireland after holidaying here over 20 years ago, and he viewed 15 Irish properties, many by lakes and rivers rather than coastal (“I’m from the mountains”): he fell for the Tipperary side of Lough Derg, finding himself a near neighbour on the lough’s shoreline of British comedian Peter Kay, who lives near by.

Here, Peter rolled up his sleeves to get Dún Áine to an A1 BER from a lower initial C3, and says it was first built by a Dutch owner (and named after his wife Anya) who took inspiration from Bunratty castle and banquet hall.

It then had interim Irish owners, before Peter’s purchase and working with local, well-regarded Portroe builder Barry Hogan he did a six-month turnaround, from October 2021 to be able to move in in March 2022.

It was stripped back to bare walls, with new steels to bolster the roof sections, was rewired, replumbed with new bathrooms (two are wet-room style), had oil heating taken out and replaced with air to water heat pumps, has underfloor heating, has 10.4kw photovoltaic cells down in the garden for energy, new windows and doors and floors, pretty much the works, plus redecoration.

The end result is a main two-bed residence of c2,500 sq ft, adjacent c 450 sq ft cottage for guests with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and he then converted a two car garage into a characterful two-beer tap home bar, using lots of materials salvaged from the makeover.

Features include those ‘turret’ bay windows with inbuilt seating/storage, display areas, 88’” Oled LG TV screen, library, new inset stove in the main living area, gleaming bathrooms (six, in all), all-white kitchen with Miele appliances, and grounds with wild and manicured areas, pollinator friendly sections, seating bowers, magnolia planting, electric car charger, robot lawnmower, large dog pen and run, CCTV, etc.

Guiding at €1.5m, Eileen Neville of Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty is charmed by it all, loves the setting and views, over serene Lough Derg, and says it has “a unique blend of history, modernity, and natural beauty.”

VERDICT: With its quirks, comforts, and private bar, plus 600 wine bottle store in the utility room, Dún Áine’s just the place for a Lough Derg Oktoberfest.....