Latest news with #Clane
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Look inside: Equestrian haven on 15 acres in north Kildare for €1.95m
Address : Mount Windsor House, Mountarmstrong, Donadea, Co Kildare Price : €1,950,000 Agent : Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes View this property on Mountarmstrong, the hill on which the Georgian, mid-18th-century Mount Windsor House stands, has quite the storied past. Long before it was acquired by Charles Armstrong, the sheriff of Kildare , in 1720 as a site to build a family home, it was one of the waypoints on an ancient road, the slí dála that led from Naas , home of Kings, to Tara. Many of the old Georgian features can still be seen in this elegant home outside Clane in north Co Kildare. The exterior of the house has been kept as it was centuries ago, but within, this property has seen a stunning transformation as its developer-owner spared no expense gutting the 285sq m (3067sq ft) four-bed house and completely refitting it to create the calm, stylish country retreat it is today. Not just a beautiful home, Mount Windsor also possesses a small-scale equestrian set-up: the yard behind the house has seven stables, a barn, a tack-room and an apartment, and there are acres of paddocks beyond the expansive gardens. Spread over 15 acres, it would be an enviable location for a small training set-up. Entrance hall Inner Hall Sittingroom Back kitchen Kitchen with Aga and island Kitchen with bespoke cabinetry Utility The renovations on the house, undertaken in 2020, included re-roofing, rewiring and replumbing and the fitting of a new kitchen, as well as remodelling of some interior spaces. READ MORE A gravelled drive leads to the house, and there are curved granite steps to the front door. An old quoin surround on an interior hall door was found during renovations and the front hall was expanded. On the left is a diningroom with a handsome marble fireplace and long views over the gardens. The sittingroom, with a green marble fireplace, is on the other side of the hall, and is papered in a luxurious linen wallpaper. Both of these rooms are south facing and filled with warm sunlight. The floors are engineered solid oak, with underfloor heating. The property has an air-to-water heating system and the Ber is B2. Back in the hall on the left-hand side is a small study, papered in a vivid hunting print, and stairs leading to the first floor, which has the first of two bedroom wings. The bedrooms are beautiful, with the same gorgeous views as the reception rooms below. A stylish bathroom lies between them with a free-standing, claw-foot bath, more lovely wallpaper and French doors that open on to a small, railed balcony with more lovely views. On the other side of the house is a large kitchen, which is connected to the hall via a butler's pantry or galley kitchen. The attention to detail that went into the handcrafted kitchen is phenomenal. The owner wanted a country look that suited the house, and achieved it with tall, free-standing units, shiplap panelling and a large island with a Belfast sink beside an Aga stove. An old oak beam in the ceiling neatly bisects the kitchen and dining areas, and beyond the kitchen is a guest WC, utility and bootroom, with a door leading outside to a series of curved outdoor sheds. Study Main bedroom Bathroom with French doors to balcony Bedroom in second wing Bathroom in second wing Gardens Gardens Yard with stables and apartment A barn-style oak door in the kitchen slides back to reveal a stairway leading to the second bedroom wing; this could be perfect for guests or young adults or teenagers. There are two bedrooms with more of the beautiful cabinetry seen everywhere in this house, and a bathroom between the bedrooms. There's also a small comms room. The gardens are stunning, with a series of granite steps descending from the terraces surrounding the front of the house into lush lawns, studded with an impressive amount of mature trees: oak, beech and willow. At the end of the sweeping lawn is a mini-forest, from which a steady stream of birdsong issues. A tennis court and a small secret garden are accessed through a beech hedge. Mount Windsor is right beside 600 acres of woodland at Donadea Forest, and Clongowes Wood College is five minutes away by car. Clane is less than 10-minutes away and Maynooth and Naas are within a 20-minute drive, so although it feels deep in the country, connectivity is excellent. Mount Windsor is brought to market by Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, seeking €1.95m.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Full circle: vinyl and printed books make a comeback as young people seek refuge from digital burnout
Older generations will remember the excitement of saving for and buying a brand new vinyl record and the crackle of the sound as it plays. The advent of modern technology has meant records and cassette tapes have been cast aside in favour of CDs and music streaming apps such as Spotify. But old-school entertainment is making a comeback. Interest in vinyl has soared in recent years; figures compiled for the Irish record industry show sales topping almost 400,000 units a year. The demand has led to a brand new vinyl-pressing facility, the only one of its kind in Ireland, to open in Clane, Co Kildare. READ MORE 'Vinyl is more than just music, it's a deeply personal experience – the sound of the memories and moments which define us,' says the facility's founder, Brian Kenny. 'There's something magical about lowering the needle and hearing the warm crackle before a note is even played. That ritual of taking a record out, admiring the artwork and reading the liner notes – it's all part of the connection.' He believes that, for many music lovers, vinyl is 'the soundtrack to their lives, with history and identity being passed down through generations'. 'The physical link to music is powerful. No stream or download can replicate it,' he says. [ The vinyl revival holds the prospect of an unappealing future Opens in new window ] It's not just records that are enjoying a resurgence. Books are also becoming increasingly popular with data from market research firm Nielsen BookData showing that Gen Z – those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s – are turning to the books their parents and grandparents enjoyed. Printed books accounted for 80 per cent of book purchases for the year to November 2022. Vinny Browne, buyer for Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in Galway, says that although CDs, DVDs and printed photographs are in danger of becoming obsolete due to streaming platforms and online galleries, the same cannot be said of the printed word. 'Firstly, for any technology to replace an existing one, it has to be better, and the ebook is not a better product than the traditional book,' he says. 'Also, the book has been central to our cultural life for a few thousand years, so is hard-wired into our brains as a means of communication – and people are less willing to give it up as a result.' Browne says 75-80 per cent of all books published in the world are physical books. This statistic 'would have surprised many who were forecasting the end of physical publications 25 or 30 years ago', he says. But, conversely, advances in technology have also helped to maintain the popularity of print books. Vinny Browne, buyer for Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in Galway 'Books are very successful on social media and the industry is very adept at getting its message out to the public,' he says. Browne points to popularity of BookTok where social media users talk about books on the TikTok video-sharing platform. There, readers can 'turn a forgotten or neglected title into a bestselling sensation by merely shining a light on it'. A book can be 'a machine for consuming vicarious experience, be it travel, time travel or immersion in the lives of others', he says. Psychologist Dr Malie Coyne says she is not surprised to hear that people are turning to books and records for entertainment as it is a means of escape from the fast-paced world we are living in. 'Society is suffering somewhat from burnout in a constantly busy world,' she says. 'Digital media is always changing, with new feeds and information, and we can become overstimulated by the sheer volume of what is around us.' Older formats of entertainment 'allow us to slow down' and buying a vinyl record or a book 'allows us to be more intentional about where we direct our attention – and many of us are craving that'. 'Buying a record used to be the biggest deal – you would save your money up and it was something so precious. So there is a longing for when life felt simpler,' she says. [ The next generation discovering the joys of vinyl: 'I like all older things, old movies, old music' Opens in new window ] Dr Coyne says the appeal of vinyl and print books also lies in their tangibility. 'When we touch things, it engages our senses,' she says. 'I was recently given a vinyl from one of my friends and even though I don't even have a record player, with its beautiful cover and printed lyrics, it feels like a treasure and is so grounding. The same goes for books – their gorgeous smell and the feel of turning the pages.' She says this all provides 'a moment of pause and helps us to feel grounded – to drown out the noise of the world and bring us back to a simpler time'. Sensual sentiment and positive mental health are not the only benefits of buying books and records; it also helps to keep native industry alive. Kenny says that his vinyl-press facility means artists and labels do not need to look overseas, which can be costly and time-consuming. Kenny says 'in a world of skip buttons and digital overload', vinyl 'reminds us to slow down, to listen properly, to appreciate the art. 'That's why it still matters,' he says.
