The four Ds – death, debt, downsizing and divorce – encompass the usual reasons for a property being offered for sale. At number 7 Priory Court (at 1-9 The Priory Archers Wood) in Delgany, however, another D is the reason for selling this four-bedroom house: design.
Simon Madigan, son of parents Greg and Trish, who live at number 7, is a senior landscape architect in Brisbane, and part of the team chosen to design for the city’s 2032 Olympics, set to be the world’s first climate-positive games. So his proud parents are going to spend quite a bit of time down under while their son helps to design a sustainable solution for both the environment and local community in the subtropical Australian city.
Their A2-rated home in Delgany was completed last year by Cairn Homes to a high standard. The Madigans purchased it “as a shell” and added their own finishing touches in the form of walnut flooring, paints (in Farrow & Ball shades) and plantation shutters throughout. A family enterprise from Kilkenny took great care with the painting, they say, and while installing panelling on the ground floor.
The couple also changed white plastic sockets to brushed metal, thereby upgrading from standard finishes in the 175sq m (1,880sq ft) detached house, along with additional wardrobes in bedrooms two and three.
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Bedroom four, currently used as a third livingroom, is on the ground floor, where there is also a shower rom, a cloakroom and a utility room, along with a formal livingroom to the front. To the rear is an open-plan kitchen/living/diningroom, which opens to the back garden through a set of French doors.
Son Simon was tasked with the design for the back garden, which was essentially “lots of concrete with some plants”. It is now laid out with easy-to-maintain railway sleeper beds filled with colour from hydrangea, cosmos and rhododendron. They could also be used for those who love the idea of growing their own vegetables, and the fact that there is no lawn – replaced by gravel, stepping stones and a flagstone patio – means very little maintenance.
The development at the edge of Delgany village ticks quite a few boxes, all the while appealing to city slickers looking for a better quality of life, especially those who can work remotely or have a hybrid work option. The beach is within a four-minute drive and you can be on a mountain walk within about 15 minutes by car.
There are now seven primary schools in the area to choose from, along with four secondary schools, while Delgany, a five-minute walk away, has three pubs, including the newly renovated Wicklow Arms bar and bistro.
Number 7 Priory Court, in walk-in condition, has now been placed on the market though DNG, seeking €995,000.
