Castlemartin most expensive 2015 residential sale

Castlemartin House, the former family home of Sir Anthony O’Reilly in Kilcullen, Co Kildare, was the most expensive residential property sale of 2015, according to an analysis of sales by MyHome.ie.

The estate was bought in January by John Malone, the Irish-American billionaire and owner of Humewood House in Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, and a number of hotels in Dublin, for €26.5 million.

"It is easily the most expensive one-off sale recorded in Ireland this year," according to MyHome.ie, a company related to The Irish Times.

The second most expensive property sale was in Dublin, 1 Sorrento House in Dalkey, which was sold to a US bidder in the summer for €10 million, having come on the market for €12 million in 2013.

Another property that sold for €10 million was Courtown Demesne in Kilcock, Co Kildare. It was bought by Galway developer Luke Comer.

Another notable sale was the €7.5 million paid for the former Canadian Embassy at Strathmore House in Killiney, which was bought by entrepreneur Dr Joe Elias in February.

Most of the year’s other notable sales also came early in 2015, including Boystown House and Estate in Blessington, Co Wicklow, at €6.35 million, and Tulira Castle in Galway, at €2.2 million.

Both sold in February.