Coolbawn buyers revealed

Following news from the Block a couple of weeks ago that number 2 Ailesbury Road, the former home of bankrupt developer Tom McFeely, had sold for about €2.5 million, the obvious next question was: who are the UK-based Irish couple who bought it?

We now believe the new owners are former Sunday Times Irish editor Rory Godson and his wife, Hilary.

Godson has been based in London since 2000, where he established corporate PR heavy-hitter Powerscourt, which counts Aer Lingus, Bank of Ireland, Ballymore Group and Paddy Power among its clients.

This week everyone associated with the deal was remaining terribly tight-lipped. Godson was unavailable for comment.

The Godsons are understood to own a home in Donnybrook. It’s unclear if they plan to relocate to Ailesbury Road permanently. What we do know is they have a serious DIY job ahead: it’s estimated Coolbawn will need a further €1 million investment to restore it to proper residential use.