Roy Greenslade and his wife Noreen, a descendant of tenants evicted by Lord George Hill, are now selling the landlord's house. Although Lord George Hill died almost 130 years ago he is still a regular conversation topic in his former home, Ballyarr House in Ramelton, Co Donegal, where his portrait is reproduced on a mural in the main hall, writes Fiona Tyrrell.
"We talk endlessly about old George," says former Daily Mirror editor Roy Greenslade, who has lived in the house with his wife, Noreen Taylor, for the last 18 years.
To this day the legacy of George is a topic of debate in the up-market heritage village of Ramelton, outside Letterkenny. George was behind the construction of the port of Bunbeg but he was also responsible for the eviction of many locals, among them Noreen's family. The fact that a descendant of evicted tenants is now living in the landlord's house is a source of great delight to the couple. So too has been the renovation of the Georgian house which they bought in 1989.
It had "received some extremely bad treatment" with bathrooms carved into main rooms, "a lean-to" extension and original features covered over. The couple spent around €400,000 on a substantial restoration of the house.
The 14-acre estate comes with two further properties providing ample guest accommodation.
Greenslade, now media commentator with the Guardian, and journalist Noreen have divided their time between Donegal and Brighton. Now they are downsizing and intend to buy a smaller house in the area. Ballyarr House is for sale through Franklins for €3 million.
Laid out over 465sq m (5,000sq ft), the five-bedroom house has a strong period feel with some quirky personal touches.
Setting the scene from the outset is the traditional main hall with a mural featuring the local mountains painted by American artist Laurence Coulter who also lives in the area. The main attraction is the drawingroom with powder blue walls, sea grass floor and a pair of decadent pink velvet couches, affectionately know as "the Elton John sofas". The study is a bright affair with great views while the drawingroom is quite formal.
A large kitchen/breakfastroom is decked out in canary yellow and has all the trappings required of a rustic kitchen - dressers, oil cloth-dressed table, Belfast sink and Aga. The basement is used as a cellar.
Four of the five bedrooms are doubles and all have lots of original features.
When first built in 1790 by Lord Hill, the fifth son of the second Marquis of Downshire, Ballyarr House was set on 200 acres.
At 14 acres, the grounds are significantly reduced but there is still room for essential country house features - extensive lawns, a walled garden, pond and a meadow with a fairy fort. In addition there is Ballyarr Lodge, a modern one-bedroom home, and Ballyarr Cottage, a rustic one-bedroom cottage with lots of period features.
Although located just outside Ramelton and only six miles from Letterkenny, the house and its grounds are extremely private.
Part of the estate is bounded by the River Leannan and three acres were planted with 5,000 native deciduous trees.
