Ballyanahan, Rockmills, Co Cork

Bence-Jones, Mark. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.

p. 19. “A small Georgian house. Handsome pedimented front with cut-stone dressings. The seat of a branch of the Barry family; in recent years of Dr T.St.J. Barry, father of Rev N.P. Barry, OSB, Headmaster of Ampleforth College.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20901823/ballyenahan-house-ballyenahan-south-co-cork

Detached seven-bay two-storey over half-basement house, built c. 1780, having three-bay pedimented breakfront, full-height central return to rear, and two-bay side elevations. Hipped slate roof with pair of rendered chimneystacks to centre, and replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls, façade and gables having cut limestone dressings comprising plinth with moulded limestone coping, moulded eaves cornice, string course between ground and first floors, and quoins. Moulded pediment to façade, having open-bed pediment detail within. Return has moulded limestone eaves course. Square-headed replacement uPVC windows throughout, with tooled limestone sills. Façade windows diminish in size with height. Continuous sill course to first floor openings in breakfront, middle window being set into round-headed recess. Round-headed entrance doorway with engaged Doric limestone columns supporting baseless moulded limestone pediment, having timber panelled door with spoked fanlight, approached by flight of cut limestone steps with wrought-iron railings. Farmyard to rear having single-storey farm buildings. North-east block having segmental-arch vehicular entrance in shallow breakfront, with cut-stone voussoirs, and north-west having rubble limestone walls, both buildings having pitched corrugated-iron roofs and square-headed timber battened doors. 

Appraisal 

This formally-built elegant late eighteenth-century country house has neo-Classical detail and style. The shallow breakfront helps make this an imposing house, the centrepiece of which is the fine carved doorcase. The front elevation is enlivened with the use of excellent quality stonework, particluarly in its cornice, quoins, string course and door surround. Such detail is is testimony to the highly skilled craftsmen of the late eighteenth century.