Many of the terraced houses in Drumcondra, in warrens of little streets and cul-de-sacs, were built between 1919 and 1960. The leafy suburb is a popular spot due to its proximity to Dublin city centre, being about a 20-minute walk to O’Connell Street.
The area offers a combination of old-world charm and recent gentrification, with a host of well-established lively bars and cafes combined with yoga classes and food markets catering to young families. With green areas such as Griffith Park and the nearby National Botanic Gardens, and seven primary schools, you can see the attraction for families. The area is popular with commuters, as it is close to the M50 and M1, and on the railway line to Maynooth, Enfield and Sligo. The same train has you at Tara Street on Dublin’s quays within about 10 minutes.
Mabel Street is a quiet little lane that connects Clonliffe Road and Fitzroy Avenue. Number 1, extending to 73sq m (786sq m), occupies a corner site.
It was purchased by its current owner in 2010 for €235,000, according to the Property Price Register. “It had a two-storey extension added to the rear, but it was quite vanilla,” says the owner, who added colour and personality to the place.
She moved an upstairs bathroom door, and subsequently used an idle space to create a walk-in wardrobe for the principal bedroom upstairs. There is also a separate shower room downstairs. Both bedrooms are doubles, the principal of which has access to the attic for storage, while the second retains a lovely old fireplace for interest.
Downstairs the two storey extension, added by previous owners, opens the entire house up, as sometimes theses houses can be warrens of small rooms. Neat storage space underneath the staircase allows a more streamlined room which is now brightly lit and the dining area opens out on to a west-facing little courtyard. Here the owner has added a built-in bench that doubles as a storage unit and a small table that folds up to the wall – making the very most of its narrow size. There is access to a side lane from here.
The owner, who is upsizing, loves the location for its accessibility and vibrancy: “It’s a 20-minute walk to the sea and also to town, so I walk everywhere – it’s such a convenient location and we have Shouk [the popular Middle Eastern eatery] and Griffith Park just up the road.”
Her home at 1 Mabel Street, which has a Ber of D2, is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €395,000.
