Hard to beat Banagher big house at €6.7m

Lairakeen house in Banagher has been transformed by songwriter Roger Whittaker, writes Kate McMorrow

Few places offer such peace and tranquillity as Banagher, a small town on the upper reaches of the Shannon where, if you listen, you can hear insects hum.

Singer and song-writer Roger Whittaker and his wife, Natalie, took on the rebuilding and restoration of Lairakeen, a large Victorian house, as a retirement project, a massive job that was a labour of love. Now the work is done, the couple are downsizing to a restored convent in the town, leaving the stunning 929sq m (10,000sq ft) house on 53 acres.

Padraic Clancy of Remax Midland Properties is quoting €6.7 million for the estate, which comes with Shannon River frontage, two private islands, cut-stone stables, gym, sauna, steam room, a coach-house apartment and a state-of-the-art recording suite.

"Everyone asks 'why Banagher?' and I say 'why not?'," explains Natalie Whittaker. "We came to Ireland on our honeymoon and fell in love with it. I'm an O'Brien of Dromoland, so it's like coming home."

Half of the house had burnt down in the 1930s and was in need of a complete overhaul when they first saw it. It was the overgrown gardens stretching to the river and copses of old Irish trees that won them over.

Rebuilt by local builders from old photographs, the new wing houses a sittingroom and panelled drawingroom overlooking the river, a panelled library, a formal diningroom, two bedroom suites and a recording studio which musicians will drool over. The Whittakers trawled auction houses throughout the world in search of good pieces for the house, many of which are available for sale.

The entrance hall is decorated in corvette grey, matching the walls of a pretty guest shower room behind the staircase.

Mahogany and ebony panelling in the library and drawingroom was bought as a room lot in Nottingham and fitted by Finn Furnishing in Tullamore. A carved fireplace dating from 1425, depicting the Palestine wars, is thought to have belonged to a crusader knight. Red silk walls continue through panelled doors to the drawing and sittingrooms. Twin French doors open to a balcony looking out to the river and islands. A fine mahogany door with carved over-door opens back to the grey-blue hall.

The family uses another sittingroom with original pink marble fireplace as a day room. Also on this level is a butler's pantry with cigar thermidor and ice-making machine. A walnut-panelled lift - "great for suitcases" - was installed off the main hall.

A back staircase leads to the lower garden area, where there is a big custom-designed kitchen in cream with granite worktops, two self-cleaning ovens and an island breakfast station. A cosy breakfastroom faces onto a secret rose garden. Down a hall lined with Whittaker's gold and platinum disks collection are the insulated recording and sound studios.

There's also a brick wine cellar with cooling system, a plant room with two industrial boilers for the heating system and a playroom opening to the garden.

A broad staircase sweeps grandly to the second floor, where there are three en suite bedrooms and two further bedrooms with a shared bathroom.

A bay window and two side windows look to the Shannon from the main bedroom, which has a dressingroom and sumptuous bathroom with steam shower, whirlpool bath and built-in television. Bedroom two - with a green antique bed painted with roses - also includes an en suite and dressingroom.

Another double room, used by visiting family members, has a big en suite bathroom and separate shower. Bedrooms four and five share a bathroom.

A large two-bedroom apartment was installed over a coach-house for their artist son, Alex.

Another cut-stone building is now an office where Natalie manages her husband's recording and entertainment empire.

A gym, sauna, steam room, shower and treatment room were squeezed into the long barn.

The grounds have been brought back to life by Natalie. The Edwardian vine house against a far wall is now bursting with home-grown figs, apricots and peaches. An old heated greenhouse has a herb garden at its entrance.

Two vast lawns dotted with apple trees are secured from the meadow leading to the river. The formal garden area and flagged terrace are so large that a marquee for 300 people, set up for an anniversary party last year, had room to spare.

The Lairakeen estate has an abundance of indigenous Irish elm, beech and sycamore with centuries of growth. Most notable is the beech-lined driveway.

The estate has over 400 yards of river frontage. with a boat house and a couple of islands.