WRITER'S HOME:A SALE has been agreed on the home of one of Ireland's most esteemed literary figures, for a whopping €250,000 less than the asking price at the height of the economic boom.
The mystery buyer of writer Kate O’Brien’s former home in Limerick City, has agreed a sale price of around €85,000 with De Courcey auctioneers.
The owner of the property had previously turned down an offer of €1.4million on the house and lands situated at the rear of the property.
The house, which has fallen into disrepair and become a drug den for addicts and a sleeping spot for homeless people, was, on its own, previously on the market for €350,000.
“We had an offer, which they (owner) didn’t take. It’s a scary business at the moment. Properties all over the country are been sold for a fraction of what they had been offered when times were good,” said John De Courcey.
“The price has been agreed and it’s with solicitors now. The house is in poor condition and has been empty and derelict for a number of years. It will require a lot of refurbishment. I can’t say who is behind the agreed sale,” De Courcey added.
Gardens to the rear of the house on Mulgrave Street, Limerick were not included in the agreed sale price.
“It’s a small site at the back, probably a fifth or a sixth of an acre – we haven’t measured it. The property will most likely be used for residential purposes.
“It’s a listed building and it doesn’t have planning permission for commercial use, for example a doctor’s or dentist’s surgery,” he explained.
The red-brick, detached property has 12 rooms, including seven bedrooms, and is 3,000sq ft in size.
It was built by Kate O’Brien’s grandfather in 1880 and was where the writer grew up and wrote many of her world-famous works.
Limerick City Council had been under pressure to purchase the house and make it into a museum or reading rooms in memory of the late author.
Over the years, the property was left abandoned, and sustained serious vandalism. It was also damaged by fire and had been a well known den for drug addicts and the homeless.
Kate O’Brien was born into a prosperous Limerick family in 1897 and began her writing career in 1926. Without My Cloak, a novel written in 1930, was her first best-seller, while other works including The Ante Room, That Lady, The Land of Spices and The Last of Summer, are all renowned works.
Although she frequently returned to Limerick, the inspiration for much of her work, Kate O’Brien spent the latter part of her life in England, where she died in 1974.
The annual Kate O'Brien Weekend takes place in Limerick from February 24th-26th, with guests including Seamus Heaney and Irish Timesjournalist Frank McNally.
