A family home with horse-friendly past on Cork's Spur Hill hits the market

WILL history repeat itself in the case of the sale of Larkspur Lodge, a one-off home built in the foothills just south of Cork city, within a short drive, a hack on a horse or pony, or even a walk of Wilton, and the western suburbs?

Built in 1975, architect-designed and engineer overseen for the rare days that were in it, Larkspur was the family home of city centre shopkeeper TCC O’Brien, his wife Anne and their three daughters, Miriam, Caroline and Avril: it was a much coveted move to the countryside from a three-bed semi-d in a Douglas estate, given their daughters love of ponies and horses when growing.

The move to edge of city Spur Hill, above Dougclonye, came with an acre of ground, enabling grazing and stables and hacks up and over Spur Hill to Ballinhassig: previously the girls’ ponies had been liveried in Blackrock.

The O’Brien family were well-known in Cork city, and beyond, back in the day: the youngest of a very large family with east Cork/west Waterford roots, father Tom (TCC) opened a shop T.C.C. O’Brien on MacCurtain Street in the 1950s, where patrons included fellow street trader the confectioner Hadji Bey of Cork Turkish Delight renown.

The O’Brien parents split the work load and family life between them for many years and they went on to open a second T.C.C. O’Brien’s in the Southside Shopping Centre in Togher, nearer to Doughcloyne.

Time passes: in the decades since MacCurtain Street went from two-way to one-way and back to two-way traffic. The shops that carried the T.C.C. O’Brien name are gone. And, the family traded down from horses and large dogs to ever-smaller dogs, and eventually a cat, a long-time companion for Anne who died in 2021.

Now, it’s time Larkspur moved on too, admits eldest daughter Miriam, based in Perth Australia, with sister Caroline in Ireland, while younger sister Avril — a talented artist — died in her mid-20s.

“Mum loved Spur Hill and she loved Larkspur, so she planted it all around when we moved,” says Miriam but adds “of course the horses ate them all, so we had to plant all over again.”

The gardens around Larkspur Lodge are still tended, by neighbour James, a feature still of this fresh-to-market property market offer, listed with €575,000 AMV by estate agent Áine McLoughlin of AML Property Services, who says she has already started second viewings this week at the brick-faced dormer home of 1,650 sq ft.

It’s under early offers in the mid-€500ks, and AML are getting requests for viewings over the Christmas period from intending native returnees.

The early profile includes those living in the ‘burbs who want more space, those working in the CUH in nearby Wilton (likely to be in view of this house?) and even those working in the harbour area given the easy access to the N40 city ring road.

A family home for half a century already, Larkspur Lodge now comes with an attached garage, sunroom and oubuildings, some former stables, on an acre with views to the north west out along the Lee Valley and western city.

It has been a well-kept property but understandably is on the dated side decoratively.

VERDICT: Location on the city fringes will spur on interest, as will the acre of grounds and paddock. Horses for courses?