For one Dublin-based couple, a move to an old rectory in the countryside meant the chance to revisit childhood dreams
Asking price: €1.35m
Agents: Sherry FitzGerald Country (01)2376300; Sherry FitzGerald Cumisky Kelly (01) 8491660; Sherry FitzGerald Lannon (041) 9838168
Nothing quite compares to the experience of sleeping in the arms of an evergreen oak, according to Cliona Dooge, owner of The Old Rectory in Drumcar.
Dooge knows this from having spent many nights in her own purpose-built treehouse, which overlooks an island on their six-plus acre property.
It isn’t the first such dwelling Dooge has owned, but unlike her previous versions, this one’s a bit posh, having been built by professionals, Forest Wild Treehouses (forestwildtreehouses.ie).
“I had always wanted a treehouse,” says the retired teacher. “I actually built my first one when I was about 10 and lived in Cork. It was a very shoddy affair, but I thought it was wonderful. Then we got the chance to build a proper treehouse, or a room really, in an evergreen oak, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Many people have slept there.”
The island it overlooks is a part of the property isolated by a bifurcation of the River Dee, 300 metres of which flow through the grounds of The Old Rectory, the historic home she shares with her husband Conor Sparks near Dunleer in Co Louth, with 4,000 sq ft of living accommodation, including five bedrooms.
The exterior of The Old Rectory
When Dooge and Sparks viewed it in 2000, they weren’t seriously considering a move from Dublin, where they had been living in leafy Booterstown; with Sparks commuting to work as a solicitor in Balbriggan.
First, it was the trees that worked their magic, according to Dooge – centuries-old oaks standing alongside pines, limes and walnut trees.
Our grandchildren swim in the River Dee itself because it’s clean and fast-flowing
Then there was the house itself, an 1835 property built by the locally prominent McClintock family, who arrived from Scotland in the 17th century and left their mark, including the nearby Drumcar House, which is now a health facility. The name Drumcar translates from Irish as ‘ridge of the weir’, reflecting its riverside setting.
“The previous owner told me the same thing happened to her,” says Dooge. “She arrived one day to look and within minutes was bowled over. We’re hoping somebody else will do the same now.”
Cliona Dooge and Conor Sparks outside the converted cow byre. Photo: Barbara McCarthy
Dooge and Sparks became only the third owners since the Church of Ireland, inheriting not just a house but a legacy. But unlike many period properties that demand extensive renovation, The Old Rectory required minimal intervention.
“We didn’t have to knock a wall or build a wall,” Dooge says. “We put in an Aga, painted from top to bottom and added a new bathroom. That was largely it.”
For Sparks, the move transformed his routine. Instead of spending two or more hours battling Dublin traffic, he found himself just 25 minutes from work – a significant improvement in quality of life that allowed him time to spend in the garden.
The hallway
Over 25 years, the couple have gradually enhanced the property’s natural assets. The half-acre island, shown clearly on the 1911 Ordnance Survey map, was originally only surrounded by water during winter floods. They cleared channels so that the island became permanent.
“Our grandchildren swim in the River Dee itself because it’s clean and fast-flowing,” says Sparks. The family also holds fishing rights along their 300-metre stretch of river, adding another dimension to country living, though Sparks says, “the only thing I ever caught there was a cold”.
The couple’s improvements have been thoughtful rather than dramatic. They’ve planted a new orchard and laburnum walk, developed a woodland garden along the riverbank and, of course, commissioned that treehouse in the 150-year-old oak. Built with full insulation and sleeping quarters, it has views across the water.
The couple added an Aga to the kitchen
The island has hosted some memorable occasions, according to Dooge. Both of her daughters were married on it – one 14 years ago, and another just months ago. During Covid restrictions, the couple say, it provided the perfect venue for socially distanced gatherings, including performances by local trad musicians, who entertained guests from across the water.
A former cattle byre has been converted into an outdoor dining room, complete with original cobblestones, which is served by a pizza oven Sparks installed across the courtyard.
The walled garden has evolved from a traditional productive space, where the couple grew vegetables and fruit, to an ornamental garden with raised flower beds.
For several years, the couple bred Saddleback pigs. Now, they have just two Kunekune pigs from New Zealand – “short-legged, fat fellows” ominously named Rashers and Sausages, which Dooge claims are easier to keep than her chickens as they don’t require daily cleaning.
The bridge to the island
Not so much dragged into the 21st century as led by the hand, the house itself balances period grandeur and modern domesticity. The drawing room, with its north-facing cast-iron veranda, serves as Sparks’s favourite evening reading retreat.
Original windows may be thin by modern standards, requiring fires and stoves from five o’clock on winter evenings, Sparks says, but the south-facing rear elevation with its dozen or more windows captures a good deal of passive solar gain too.
The steps up to the treehouse
A self-contained basement apartment, accessible from both the courtyard and south garden, provides flexible accommodation for guests or extended family. The flagstone-floored quarters include two bedrooms with fireplaces, a living room with wood-burning stove, and a kitchen with a pantry.
The entrance to the treehouse
There are plenty of outbuildings too – a coach house, stables, the former cow byre, a tack room and stores totalling over 1,000sq ft.
The Old Rectory is close enough to the M1 for relatively handy access to Dublin by car – 30 minutes to the airport – yet embedded in the countryside. There are coastal walks and beaches within relatively easy reach at Annagassan and Clogherhead.
With three of their four children settled in Dublin along with grandchildren, Dooge cites the pull of family proximity as the main factor behind selling up. After 25 years of rural living, the couple feel the need to be closer to the next generation.
She will miss her local friends most. “The garden was the big thing for us. I’m talking to the trees to say goodbye,” she says. “Because you never leave your friends without doing that.”
Sherry FitzGerald Country, Cumisky Kelly and Lannon are together seeking offers in the region of €1.35m