After more than two decades at Strand Lodge in Sandymount, Lulu O’Sullivan and Brody Sweeney are preparing to leave the house that has been their family base since the early 2000s. With their children grown up and moved out, the couple say the house now feels too large for their needs, and they’re looking to downsize in the Dublin 4 suburb.
O’Sullivan is chief executive of TheIrishStore.com and GiftsDirect.com, and Sweeney was the man who turned O’Briens sandwich bars into an international brand and is the founder of Camile Thai Kitchen. With both involved in fast-paced businesses, they were drawn to Sandymount for its balance of city access and seaside calm.
“We never wanted to be sitting in traffic after a long day,” says O’Sullivan. “Here you’re living in the city yet on your doorstep you have the most beautiful walks and then a great village around the corner.”
Strand Lodge, a two-storey-over-garden-level house on Strand Road, was built in the 1870s and has views out across Dublin Bay. The Ber-exempt property extends to 422sq m (4,542sq ft) and is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald with a guide price of €2.45 million.
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Inside, the layout follows the classic format of the period, with a few contemporary adjustments. The main entrance, up a short flight of steps, opens into a bright central hall, lit from above by a circular roof light that pulls light down from the window at the top of the house. To the left, two interconnecting reception rooms retain their original proportions and period features, with the drawingroom to the front and diningroom to the rear.
To the right of the hallway, a self-contained suite was created for O’Sullivan’s mother. It includes a livingroom, kitchen and bedroom, and though adapted for independent living, it mirrors the original detailing of the house, including ceiling coving and sash windows with shutters.
At garden level, the kitchen and breakfastroom span one side of the house, opening on to a southwest-facing garden. The kitchen reflects the family’s interest in food – unsurprising, given Sweeney’s background – with an Aga, pantry, island unit and double fridge-freezer. O’Sullivan says the space has hosted everything from dinner parties for 20 to larger gatherings of more than 100 people.
Also on this level are a more informal family room, a study and an en-suite bedroom, as well as access to the garage and garden.
Upstairs the main bedroom has views out to sea and includes an en-suite bathroom. There are three further bedrooms on this level, one of which is also en suite, plus a family bathroom.
The front of the house has off-street parking on the gravelled driveway for four cars, with an EV-charging point already installed. Behind the house, the private rear garden faces southwest and includes a patio for outdoor dining.
For O’Sullivan, the location, just across the road from the Great South Wall and a short walk from Sandymount village, has been a constant draw, even after 21 years. “You can’t beat Sandymount – it ticks every single box. The village is just so special with a real sense of community and a gorgeous atmosphere and not too chi-chi. Still, every morning when I go out to work, I just see the sea and think, Oh my gosh, look at those views.”
