Coolmain Castle, Kilbrittain, 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. 91. “(Statwell/LGI1912; Ruskell/LGI1958) A two storey seven bay gable-ended C18 house with a pedimented gable on the shore of Courtmacsherry Bay; enlarged C19 by the addition of a castellated wing with dormer-gables and surrounded by battlemented curtain walls and outworks.”
Detached multiple period country house, commenced 1792, with later additions and wings. Five-bay two-storey block with central gablet having two-bay two-storey block with pair of gables attached to north, with square-plan three- and four-stage crenellated towers to north. Single-bay single-storey crenellated porch to central block. Hipped and pitched slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks. Rubble stone crenellated parapets to towers. Rendered walls. Rubble stone walls to towers. Square-headed and pointed arch openings. Crenellated screen walls and tower to south-east. Related outbuildings to site.
Appraisal
An interesting multiple period house with individual blocks and elements that demonstrate changing architectural fashions in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The regularly proportioned Georgian house, attached wing with gables and pointed arch openings, and crenellated towers combine to create a building of much character and diversity. The related outbuildings, screen walls and tower add to its setting and context. Set overlooking to sea, it makes the most of its picturesque location.
Coolmain Castle, Kilbrittain, Co. Cork for sale June 2025 courtesy Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty €7,500,000
P72 AF85 9 beds6 baths
An extremely attractive and magical 18th-century castle gloriously positioned within private parkland that enjoys a prominent position overlooking the sea and up the estuary to Courtmacsherry Bay and just an 18-minute drive from fashionable Kinsale town. In all about 56 acres (23 Hectares). 6-receptions, 9-bedrooms, 6-bathrooms. Pastoral views over undulating countryside combine gloriously with expansive sea views to give impressive and panoramic vistas from the castle and grounds. A tree lined avenue provides a magical approach, from where a stone arch leads to an inner courtyard. Attractive stone walls providing an extremely pleasant aesthetic. The house is presented in superb condition and is simply magical, the symmetrical five-bay original Georgian house wonderfully augmented by the 19th-century castellated tower and battlemented parapet walls to create a beautifully attractive and fun house. The accommodation is well laid out and updated to readily allow comfortable living, seamlessly incorporating modern convenience whilst retaining fantastic historical character. The reception rooms are impressive with large windows and generous ceiling heights and link excellently to allow superb entertaining yet are each of a scale to be comfortable. The generous kitchen with the wonderfully large table is a great space and superbly designed to allow congenial informal gathering for family and guests. There are ample bedroom suites, and the first-floor sunroom conservatory is exceptional. The original L-Shaped Stable yard has been carefully upgraded and features a modern self-contained 3 Bedroom Caretakers residence, 3 well appointed loose boxes and an abundance of overhead lofted storage itself ripe for further conversion if desired. This Ivy-clad local cut stone finish allows the building to blend seamlessly into the castellated surroundings with a traditional stone archway highlighting its period features. The gardens and grounds are glorious. Extremely private and sheltered but with excellent sea views still afforded. A blend of formal terraces and manicured lawns within the immediate gardens into less formal gardens and the wider parkland works superbly. The use of manicured pathways throughout the parkland working extremely well to seamlessly link the gardens to the wider lands and providing highly useable walks. The outer coastal lands very much connect the estate to the sea and provide some lovely private coves and beaches. Coolmain beach is noted for its pristine powdery sand. Overall, the various component parts of the estate all combine to present a truly magical and attractive circa 56-acre estate. Coolmain Castle has a rich and magical provenance and has been home to the Disney family for the past 35-years. Purchased by Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney and vice-charman of the Walt Disney Company, in 1989 and comprehensively restored and updated Coolmain Castle has been meticulously maintained ever since. Notable owners before the Disney’s have included The Honourable Henry Boyle Bernard, Thomas Wyse, Hibernicus Scott, the novelist Donn Byrne, photographer Bob Willougby ‘the man who virtually invented the photojournalistic motion picture still’ and most recently and fittingly the Disney family. Dating to the early 18th-century a magical fusion of various additions and amendments in keeping with changing architectural fashions over the preceding centuries presents a wonderfully textured and layered architecture that combined with the gloriously coloured local stone walls and being positioned in an extremely picturesque location, set overlooking the sea, makes Coolmain Castle truly authentic and attractive. Positioned in the scenic and vibrant southwest of Ireland many thriving and bustling nearby coastal towns include popular Kinsale, a popular historic sailing town with a wide selection of fine restaurants, a deep-water harbour and the famed Old Head golf links. Walking trails, golfing and sailing amenity is in abundance. Cork city is within easy reach, just 27-miles or 44-km away and Cork International airport less than a 30-minute drive. The castle is available fully furnished and with garden tools and equipment included. Quoting Excess 7,500,000.
Accommodation
BER Details
BER: E2 BER No: 107140253 Energy Performance Indicator: 356.22 kWh/m2/yr
Negotiator
David Ashmore
Irish Historic Houses 