President's house to be a `modest' building

The house planned by the President, Mrs McAleese, and her husband in Co Roscommon will be a "modest, understated family home" similar in design to the farmhouse owned by her aunt in the North, according to the president's spokeswoman, Ms Eileen Gleeson, of FCC Communications.

"It doesn't have panoramic windows, it's below the skyline and hidden from the lake. It will also be screened by trees because the President and her husband are interested in privacy and they're not building this as a holiday home but as a permanent home for the future," she said.

Ms Gleeson said the President was extremely familiar with north Roscommon and had been holidaying there since she was a child. The couple own a small cottage in the area which had been her father's family home for generations, but it was too small for their requirements.

"They knew for a very long time exactly the sort of home they wanted and had been designing it in their minds," Ms Gleeson said.

As a result, there was no need to consult an architect.

She said Mr Conor Gray, the building consultant who had drawn up the plans, was chosen because of his knowledge of the area and its environment.

He had advised the couple previously on another matter, and they didn't know of any chartered architect in Carrick-on-Shannon.

"They are putting in a wheelchair-accessible bedroom on the ground floor for Martin's father, Mr Charlie McAleese, who has been living with them for several years. So this will be very much a family home, a place where they go boating on the lake, which is something they enjoy."

Asked whether the President and her husband would be availing of the tax incentives available in the Upper Shannon region, Ms Gleeson said they were aware of the scheme and it would be an option they would consider.