A well-known businessman has lodged plans to demolish a four-bedroomed home he and his wife purchased for €1 million in the seaside resort of Lahinch last summer. They plan to construct a new home more than double in size.
Former EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and founder of healthcare recruitment group TTM Healthcare, Brian Crowley and his wife, Susan Crowley, purchased Thalassa at Seapark, Lahinch, at an online auction where bidding started at €650,000. The auction lasted for more than an hour and the Crowleys beat off five other bidders to secure the property.
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The online brochure for the property – built in 1971 – stated that “situated on an elevated site with uninterrupted panoramic views overlooking Lahinch beach, ‘Thalassa’ is a home in one of the most sought after locations along the west coast of Ireland”.
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An entry on the residential property price register confirms that the €1.005 million sale went through on August 13th last.
The Crowleys have now lodged plans with Clare County Council to demolish Thalassa and construct a new detached dwelling.
The new home will be more than double the size in floor space at 314sq m compared with 126sq m for Thalassa.
Brian Crowley represented Ireland in boxing at under-age level and in 2024 TTM Healthcare generated revenue of €144.26 million in 2024 as pretax profit increased by 8 per cent to €12.46 million.
In documentation lodged with the plans, chartered architect Paul Keating outlined the justification for demolishing Thalassa.
He said “the existing house is in a poor state of repair and is unviable as a refurbishment option and as a result we are proposing to demolish the existing house and construct a new build”.
Keating, of JE Keating and Associates Architects, said “in our approach we are acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site and its location in a settled housing estate”.
The design approach, he said, showed “we have respected the pattern of development as well as the proximity of the adjoining neighbours”.
No objections have been lodged against the application with the closing date now passed and the council is due to make a decision on the application next month.
