Cork house with a history

Bride Park Cottage in the village of Killumney outside Ovens in Co Cork, is quite the misnomer as the house extends to 380sq m over two floors.

The Georgian property was home to Patrick Cleburne, the highest ranking Irishman to serve in the American Civil War. Cleburne was born here in 1828, and after failing the entrance exams to Trinity College to study medicine as his father did, fled to the UK where he joined the British army.

For years, due to the embarrassment of his failure to study at Trinity, he avoided all contact with his family. When he finally returned, he found his stepmother and his siblings destitute. He emigrated to the United States with two brothers and a sister and within a year was promoted to brigadier general of a Confederate unit, where he earned the moniker “Stonewall of the West”.

While Cleburne never owned slaves, and openly voiced his opposition to the institution of slavery, he agreed with the right of a section of the country to govern itself.

In 1864, as Patrick Cleburne aged 37, rode into the Battle of Franklin, he remarked to his men of Polk Cemetery: “It’s almost worth dying to rest in so sweet a spot.” Little did he know that four days later he would be interred there.

The house, which bears a memorial plaque to Cleburne, is set on 1.5 acres of private gardens behind electric gates. Inside, the layout and décor have a relaxed country feel, with the house retaining many of its period features, such as original flooring and fireplaces.

A formal drawing room is bathed in light thanks to a fine bay window and opens into a sunroom – laden with tropical plants. The kitchen, in duck egg blue, has a country feel with oak units, quartz worktops, and a wood-burning stove. The property has four reception rooms in all.

Upstairs, are four bedrooms, the master of which has the original ceiling beams exposed.

The grounds, which are landscaped with rare plants and mature shrubs, include an herb garden, a formal pond and courtyard. In the courtyard, which is accessed from the kitchen, lies a 45sq m open plan cottage. It has been re-roofed and insulated, and houses a solid fuel burning stove.

DNG Michael Galvin are seeking €1.1m for the Georgian property.