Tax-breaks to the fore at Doonbeg golf homes

CO CLARE FROM €785,000:Backed by American tycoons and with a course designed by Greg Norman, Irish investors are only just getting to know Doonbeg, where tax breaks are on offer, writes Orna Mulcahy Property Editor

SIGNIFICANT TAX breaks are on offer with the latest phase of houses being sold in the grounds of the five-star Doonbeg Golf Resort overlooking the Atlantic in Co Clare.

Eight houses in the Links Cottages scheme overlooking the Greg Norman-designed 18-hole golf course are for sale at prices between €1.61 million and €1.66 million.

The word "cottage" is misleading - these are large four-bedroom, four-bathroom houses built in the style of a Victorian sporting lodge and fully furnished in a chic seaside style at a fit-out cost of approximately €160,000.

The cottages come with a full family membership of the golf club, and tax allowances of 75 per cent which can be set against all other Irish rental income over a 10-year period.

A number of one, two and three-bedroom courtyard suites - effectively terraced houses - are also for sale in the resort.

These range in size from 102sq m (1,098sq ft) to 213sq m (2,293sq ft) and are priced from €785,000 to €1.4 million.

Built around beautifully-kept formal gardens designed by Diarmuid Gavin, the suites also come fully furnished down to the last teaspoon.

The suites have allowances of 96 per cent available over the eight remaining years of the tax break, and again, these allowances can be offset against Irish rental income.

A rental guarantee scheme is also available, consisting of €70,000 per annum for seven years, net of all operational expenses. Buyers looking to avail of this option will pay between €1.91 million and €1.96 million for the houses.

The investors behind the 400-acre Doonbeg are American tycoons Charles "Buddy" Darby III and Leonard Long.

They're co-founders of a swish golf resort in Charleston, North Carolina, and have poured millions into establishing Doonbeg as a premier destination for golfers worldwide.

Irish people, meanwhile, are only just beginning to get to know the resort which is set in a wildly beautiful but remote corner of Clare pounded by Atlantic rollers, and whipped by wind and rain.

The owners' vision for Doonbeg was a highly romantic one. They set out to build an authentic Irish castle, but instead created a wonderfully comfortable environment that is utterly American.

Step through the baronial entrance hall, warmed by a turf fire, and you are in another world - one that looks as though it has been transported brick-by-brick, beam-by-beam from New England, power showers included.

Outside the weather is wild, but you can enjoy all from a cushioned window seat with no draughts.

The detail is impressive. Much of the furniture and the curiosities - think stuffed fish, old milk churns, boot scrapers, hat stands and chunky chandeliers - were bought at country house auctions and antiques are blended in with clever reproductions.

"Disneyland for grown-ups" is how one resident described the mix of opulence and unreality in the hotel which is made up of 15 privately-owned suites - some of which are actually large four-bedroom houses - with the prime units facing the ocean.

However, though many of the suites are owned by Americans, the customers these days are increasingly Irish.

Last weekend, a large group of golfers from Philadelphia had checked in, but there was also a big local wedding held in a marquee in the grounds. Their wedding business is growing, according to real estate executive Brendan Murphy, but they are also getting lots of couples taking a break, as well as girls' weekends, and families. Baby-sitters are available.

The two-bedroom courtyard suites can be rented from around €220 a night, while in the current low season, the four-bedroom Links Cottages are attractive at around €440 per night.

Residents of the cottages and suites have full use of the hotel - there's a fine restaurant called The Long Room, a large bar, Darbys, located over the golf shop, and a spa, called White Horses, where the renowned Irish but US-based interior designer Clodagh, had a free hand.

Members have more space to play in, with a large private members' bar and diningroom as well as a sittingroom and games room.

The suites that make up the hotel were almost exclusively bought by wealthy Americans who visit a handful of times a year.

Similarly, the courtyard suites built around the entrance to the hotel were snapped up by overseas buyers, although some Irish buyers managed to secure a handful of two-bedroom units.

The Links Cottages are built a little way from the hotel, beside a driving range where you can get in a few practice shots before trying out the exhilarating but famously difficult course. Prepare to lose a lot of balls.

Doonbeg, Lahinch, Co Clare

Links cottages and courtyard townhouses with a high-spec fit-out at golf resort on the shores of the Atlantic

Agent:Doonbeg Real Estate (065-9055666)