Mount Merrion: 1.35m There comes a time in most lives when realising a long-held dream becomes a priority. With property, it usually coincides with finding a place with that certain something that catches the heartstrings.
It was the sun setting over Dunmanus Bay from the tall windows of a house in Ahakista in West Cork that sent broadcasters Ted Dolan and Tish Barry-Dolan off to the estate agents to put their Mount Merrion home on the market.
Having fallen in love with West Cork many years ago on annual trips with the children, the couple decided they could just as easily follow their broadcasting and writing careers from this idyllic spot.
"People who settle in Spain seem displaced somehow and Tuscany and Provence are okay for the very young. I feel Irish and I love being in Ireland. And we don't want to be too far away from our children and grand-children," says Ted.
Very much a home after 20 years in residence, 33 St. Thomas Road is likely to attract a good deal of interest. This avenue is the most sought-after in Mount Merrion and the Dolan's house is among the finest on the road.
Douglas Newman Good is guiding €1.35 million prior to auction on 3rd March for the 1,500 sq ft semi-detached house, which comes with a magnificent quarter-acre garden and planning permission for a 750 sq ft extension to the side.
Between them, the Dolans were responsible for a number of successful television programmes, including Garden Heaven, The Derek Davis Show, Murphy's Law and Turning Point. Tish won an Emmy award for her 1980s documentary Victims of Violence. Ted, who has concentrated mainly on writers and the arts, has just completed a documentary on the life of Kevin O'Higgins and is researching another on Seán MacBride.
While number 33 has a very pleasing and pristine interior, the garden has the edge when it comes to the 'wow' factor.
Visitors should waft down the cream and gold-papered hall, through the kitchen and family room and head out the back, where lawned terraces and flower borders spill down to a secluded arbour. The eco-climate is so perfect here that a banana tree is flourishing.
The Kenny-built house is set back beyond a sheltered front garden, with flags interspersed with greenery and a gravelled parking curve. Through the front door, a soft colour theme in shades of cream and ivory gives a restful impression and creates a perfect backdrop for the owners' impressive collection of modern Irish art.
The wide hallway is decorated in gold and cream wallpaper which continues to the upstairs landing. To the right is a cosy sittingroom, with oak bookcases either side of a marble and mahogany fireplace.
Country-style and pretty, the kitchen has cream-painted units and a shiny navy Aga in an inglenook. A log book tracks the Aga's process from the 1950s when it was solid fuel, then oil and now gas-fired.
Off this is a large bright diningroom where the family spend a lot of time. This is beech floored, with easy chairs by a low brick fireplace and cupboards either side. The long dining table stretches across the window end. Outside, a slender silver birch appears like a graceful ghost in the vague winter light.
Four bedrooms are upstairs - two doubles with wardrobes and two singles - and the family bathroom. Outside, a garage is plumbed for laundry use.
From the kitchen terrace, three lawns stretch down to a summerhouse surrounded by lavender and teasels, where a television and kettle are installed. The Dolans call it 'The Temple'.
Come summer, irises, roses, magnolia, lacecap hydrangeas, delphiniums, lupins, deutzia, peonies, blue salvia and rhododendron will have either run their course or are about to flower. Tall sculptured trees and a spreading winter cherry create a leafy skyline.
"Its so close to town, yet so peaceful. In summer when we are working in RTE, we can go home for a coffee break and ten minutes of tranquillity," says Tish.
