Dublin 4/€10m: Former EU Commissioner Dick Burke has sold his Ballsbridge home for a figure thought to be well over €10 million.

Mr Burke sold the semi-detached Victorian house at 67 Ailesbury Road in an off-market deal, though he had previously engaged estate agents Douglas Newman Good to sell the property.

The agency had planned to launch the house for sale today, but had to cancel the campaign at short notice.

Douglas Newman Good has said it is not in a position to comment at this stage.

The 1920s redbrick house is well situated, facing the entrance to Shrewsbury Road. It's a solid family home with a superb 260ft back garden complete with orchard, apple house and bomb shelter.

The three-storey house has two grand reception rooms, as well as a garden room, study and sizeable kitchen.

Upstairs, the six bedrooms are laid out over two floors with the main bedroom at the back of the house commanding a lovely view over the surrounding gardens.

The former Fine Gael minister for education, who famously crossed the floor to join Charlie Haughey's government in 1982, has lived on Ailesbury Road for over 20 years with his wife Mary.

The couple plan to move to a smaller house in Mount Merrion.

There is big demand at present for exactly this kind of big, well-located house in Dublin 4 and, while an off-market sale is often tempting for vendors, the risk is that the property might make even more on the open market.

A rival agency said yesterday that a house of this quality could be worth "€10, €11, or even €12 million".

Genuine househunters have to battle with investors at this level of the market.

The last major house to sell on Ailesbury Road was number 27, a Victorian redbrick sold by veteran investor Peter White for €9 million last year.

Both the buyer and underbidder were investors.