It is its proximity to the hallowed grounds of Croke Park that most impresses the families of the owners of 85 Tolka Road in Drumcondra, one of whom is from Kerry, the other from Donegal.
Since purchasing this three-bedroom end-of-terrace home in 2017, not only have the couple and their nearest and dearest made the most of match days, they’ve also been to just about every concert hosted by the stadium since then, using the residents’ presale to get tickets for the likes of Coldplay and Garth Brooks. Now hoping to upsize nearby, the owners have placed this 77sq m (825sq ft) C-rated home on the market through Kelly Bradshaw Dalton, seeking €475,000.
With one of the owners running a painting and decorating business, the finish of this home, as you’d imagine, is immaculate, with crisp white walls and accents of blue creating a bright, welcoming atmosphere throughout.
A bonus to this house for many is likely to be the home office/reading room located to the right of the hallway as you enter the property. Spray-painting the wall panelling, bookshelves and desk in a deep teal shade creates a trendy, uniform effect. As well as the desk for work by the window, there is space for a lovely reading nook in the opposite corner of the room, with light overhead from a large Velux window. This room has also been used as a playroom since their son was born, the owners say.
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Across the hall is the open-plan livingroom and kitchen with grey oak herringbone-patterned floors underfoot. The owners had built-in units installed, providing storage, a TV stand and shelving as well as a countertop for a coffee station. A wood-burning stove keeps the place cosy.
The kitchen is neatly tucked into the corner with light-grey units and quartz countertops. Built-in floor-to-ceiling cupboards on the opposite wall house a large fridge-freezer and a pantry.
French doors in the kitchen open out to the southwest-facing low-maintenance garden, featuring two patio areas, a lawn of artificial grass and two built-in planters. A utility room is in an outbuilding, offering further storage space and keeping the noisy machines out of the living areas.
Upstairs, the main bedroom lies to the front of the house with an original cast-iron fireplace and blue panelling behind the bed. A second double bedroom and a single lie to the rear.
The single room, once used as a dressingroom, is now kitted out as a sweet nursery. The bathroom has a full-size bath – which was very handy when their little one came along, the owners say – which has a shower attachment, and there are grey and white patterned tiles underfoot.
Tolka Road is nestled in a quiet spot, down the road enough from Clonliffe Road as to be away from the foot traffic and noise on match and gig days. It is just a 10-minute walk from Drumcondra village, and the owners, like many previous owners I have spoken to in this area, highlight Middle Eastern restaurant Shouk as a local favourite, as well as the Duck Café on Clonliffe Road.
Barbara Ward Community Centre is just a few metres from the house, where classes, including those for babies and toddlers, are held, and there is also a creche on site. The dog of the house favours nearby Griffith Park and Fairview Park for walks.
The owners prefer to take to the city on foot, rather than deal with traffic, and they time their journeys as taking 20 minutes to reach O’Connell Street and 35 minutes to get to Grafton Street. Requiring cars for longer journeys, though, there is space for two in the paved front driveway meaning you won’t have to stress to find a spot on the narrow street.
