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The 42
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
'We were blown away': How the Dubs discovered their hard edge through Tyrone battles
IF TYRONE WERE looking to get up the noses of Dublin, then they did it as fast as they could. Acting the maggot, mind-games, scampish behaviour or shit-housery, call it what you want. Tyrone didn't mind. They didn't care. On their very first championship meeting, the All-Ireland semi-final of 1984, Tyrone emerged from the Croke Park dressing rooms first. As they posed for the team photograph, three seated figures on the left side, Sean Donnelly, Noel McGinn and John Lynch's knees were jumping up and down, mad for action. They went straight for Hill 16 to do their warm-up. Four minutes later, Dublin emerged. No team picture. Straight down to the Hill. Booing and jeering everywhere. 'Dublin seem to be trying to evict the Tyrone men from the goal down on the left,' said Miceál O'Hehir in his commentary. Dublin fans unfurled a banner that read, 'TYRONE POWER IS DEAD.' The two teams carried on warming up half-ignoring each other. The Dublin team belatedly went for their picture as scuffles between Dublin fans broke out on the Hill. Gardai came in to sort it out and were chased away with stones and other missiles. Let's call it, 'The Mill On The Hill.' **** Six years later and both teams received an unlikely invitation. The Irish Festival Committee of Toronto, Canada, wanted a headline act. They thought they might invite Cork and Mayo to reprise their All-Ireland final some seven months previous. But the two had actually agreed to play a friendly that weekend in Griffin Park, the then home of Brentford AFC. So the Toronto crowd went for the beaten semi-finalists: Tyrone and Dublin. Tyrone manager Art McRory knew of the 18-year-old Peter Canavan, who had yet to play a dozen games of senior football. He brought him along for the experience. At the start of the second half, some hardchaw had seen enough of this young upstart. Canavan was laid out with a punch to the throat. The Toronto Skydome was spectacularly ill-suited to host a game of Gaelic football. The surface was like polished concrete. The O'Neills football hopped around like a ping-pong ball. Players wore big spongy tennis shoes as well as pads for their knees and elbows. At one point, Sean Donnelly took a swing of his boot at Ciaran Duff. He missed him. Undeterred, he took another one and caught him flush. Referee Miceál Greenan of Cavan felt the whole thing was an impossible task. Later, as the green beer flowed and the teams drank together, Duff and Donnelly got on famously, even rolling up Duff's jeans to get a picture of Donnelly pointing at the point of contact. **** The 1995 All-Ireland final left a scar that's still visible on Tyrone. Defeat was one thing. To be defeated and feel that referee Paddy Russell unfairly punished Peter Canavan for touching the ball on the ground as he teed Seanie McLaughlin up for a potential equaliser left them seething. Advertisement Peter Canavan. © Tom Honan / INPHO © Tom Honan / INPHO / INPHO Then there was the Charlie Redmond business. Russell had yellow carded him twice but he didn't leave the field for some time. The following morning, an RTÉ phone-in had Tyrone midfielder Feargal Logan calling in to tell people to lay off Redmond. Only, it wasn't Logan at all. Shithousery. Soon after that defeat, a number of Tyrone Gaels came together and decided to put a bit of strategy into the undoubted passion that existed in the county. They formed the beginnings of what would become Club Tyrone, the body behind the fundraising that delivered the Garvaghey training centre. At underage, Mickey Harte was the minor manager. He was struggling. Worse was to come the following season as he lost his first-round Ulster match to Fermanagh in Omagh. He persisted. There were some good young lads coming through with names like McGuigan, McGinley, O'Neill, Mulligan, McAnallen, Hughes. You'd never know. **** The next time they met, all had changed. Utterly. Tyrone were All-Ireland champions. The manager was a conservative figure, presiding over a band of punk pirates. Dublin were, for many, figures of fun. Under Tommy Carr and Tommy Lyons they we in their peak arse-boxing banter era. When Paul 'Pillar' Caffrey graduated from selector under Lyons to becoming the manager, Tyrone were the benchmark. But before they could present their front garden to the Tidy Towns Committee, they had to sort out the backyard. 'My mindset, and I had fed it back down into the team, was that we had slipped well back in Leinster,' says Caffrey now. 'We had won one Leinster title in nine years so we very much said, 'Lads, to give ourselves a chance of knocking on the door of an All-Ireland, we need to validate our position as the number one team in Leinster.' Since 1995, Dublin had only won their province in 2002. Dublin scraped one in 2005. They were about to take off Mossy Quinn in the final against Laois before the late Davy Billings convinced Pillar he should keep on the Vincent's man in the event of a late '45. Lo, it happened. Mossy nailed it. Champions. 'In year one, we were very content. We had won Leinster and the bonus was that we were going to have a crack at it. We didn't feel we could stare these teams in the face, but we had to start winning Leinster titles with a bit of credibility, so we could challenge for an All-Ireland. Mickey Harte with Paul Caffrey. INPHO INPHO 'It was slightly different. We weren't brazen enough to think we could win an All-Ireland back then.' Tyrone was a test. 'We were a very nice team. We had a lot of very talented footballers. But we didn't have an edge to us,' he says. 'So we met Tyrone and we saw the hard edge they had. We were blown away by that. We weren't at the races physically with them. We had to evolve and get learning and get a bit of analysis about us to see if we could survive in the arena against Tyrone. 'There would have been an element of verbals there and whatever you could get away with. We learned from Tyrone and felt we knew where we had to get to, to contest an All-Ireland.' He adds: 'We needed to start working on it and it's natural for some fellas. We talked about it. We coached it. And some guys were uncomfortable with going into the dark arts, a bit of sledging, off the ball stuff, physicality or whatever. 'Some guys just want to go out and play ball, and that's fine. But to match Tyrone, we had to learn quickly and grow up a little bit.' What of Tyrone and their thoughts of Dublin? As a player, Mickey Harte had never played them. Not once. The club fallout with St Ciaran's Ballygawley in 1982 left him in exile for '84. But he had his thoughts. 'There was a fight in them always. I think it was just after we won the All-Ireland we had them in a league match in Parnell Park and they laid into us in some tune. Brian Dooher might have had his chin split that day,' recalls Harte. 'It was heavy duty stuff really and we had more of that up in Omagh a few years later in the so-called 'Battle of Omagh.' Which I think was much exaggerated really. 'The biggest damage was done that day was a jersey ripped down the middle. I don't think there were any serious blows struck in the melee, but the media highlighted it. 'But we always felt we could beat Dublin. They were a force alright, and they probably missed the boat a few times. They had a decent team at the time. 'What I liked about them was that they were battlers, number one, they never made life easy for you. And I felt the crowd were good; they would get behind them to the hilt. But when they couldn't get the better of us they were very honourable.' Back to the Battle of Omagh. Tyrone got the better of Dublin in that two-game series in 2005. They went on to win their second All-Ireland. Going up to Omagh was to be a test of their manhood. Not an inch. Not even a fraction; that was the message. Alan Brogan went after the Tyrone team doctor, Dr Seamus Cassidy. It all kicked off. Alan Brogan gets involved. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO 'We had felt we weren't taking our lessons on board here and we needed to lay down a marker. If we were to have an ambition of winning an All-Ireland, we had to back it up. We needed to win back-to-back Leinsters and to meet these guys further down the line, we needed to have a little bit more about us,' reasons Caffrey. 'That day, we felt there would be some spark at some stage. We spoke about it in the build-up. We told them how we wanted them to conduct themselves; we didn't want mass sendings off, but we certainly wanted to show intent that we weren't leaving players isolated, we weren't allowing players get picked on. 'And whatever happens, happens.' It was coached, it was fed to the players. He doesn't shy away from that. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't an intent on our part. There was a hard-nosed attitude from us that day. Management laid it down to players and players accepted it that, look, 'this is the first challenge in the lessons of '05. Are we going to take it on a bit, or are we going to be just a nice team?' 'Obviously, the scenes weren't pretty! Privately, I would have been nice and content getting back on that team bus. I'd seen something different in our guys. We were going to partake of the learnings and maybe we can become a hard-nose outfit and it can take us somewhere.' The outrage was everywhere and subject to radio phone-ins and blanket media coverage. But working as a Guard, Pillar had seen a few hairy moments in his time. This wasn't one. Not really. 'A lot of it was, as we would call it, handbags. But rather than having handbags and us coming off second best, we got involved. 'There was nobody injured with a box or a boot that day. We did show a physical intent to our game that hadn't been there previously. For our boys, it was a little investment in the belly for coming down the road afterwards; 'We stood up for ourselves today.'' While it was Brogan that got the thing going that day, Caffrey always described him as a lover, not a fighter. He could find a few of those around town. 'You take a man like Denis Bastick. You wouldn't describe him as one of the greatest midfielders Dublin ever had. But certainly in that period he became an effective midfielder. 'He became one of those dogs in that when there was business to be looked after, Denis Bastick was going to be in the middle of it, because he was a hardy buck. He became an enforcer and a minder out in the pitch.' A quick anecdote about Bastick. Those times must have left a huge impression on him. Many years later, Dublin and Tyrone were playing a Masters final in Ballina, Co Cavan. Tyrone had a late free coming in. Bastick was sent on before it was taken. With the ball on the way to goal, Bastick struck out and caught a Tyrone player. An instant red card. He lasted around half a second. During the Jim Gavin era, when opposition teams were searching around to level the playing field a little, the influence of Hill 16 was analysed. But even before that, Harte was warning his players about how to treat it. 'You always needed to talk to your players about the Hill. It's a boost to them and the idea is, 'Can you tame them long enough that they don't get the chance to sing?'' asked Harte. 'You need to be at Dublin early, don't let them have a chance to get ahead of you because when that swings into action it is definitely a boost. Related Reads 'What a goal. That is one of the great goals we've seen in Croke Park. Magic, magic Mulligan!' 'Not a new issue' - GPA supports Donegal's frustration at short quarter-final turnaround 'We back you no matter what' - Shane Walsh on backing of Galway team mates 'Even the '05 game we played, the replay, we had a decent lead at half time and they came back at us in the second half. It felt like they were sucking the ball over the bar. Shane Ryan kicked a point from 60 yards and you thought to yourself that the crowd just sucked the ball over the bar! 'They came back at us in that game and I remember turning to Tony Donnelly on the line and remarking the effect the crowd were having on the game. You just felt that was happening. 'You had to break the momentum. Mugsy's (Owen Mulligan) goal silenced them a bit and then he silenced them a bit. The stance said it all!' That was Mulligan's goal in the 2005 replay. The goal in the first game has already been well-documented this week. Typical of Harte, while he acknowledges the individual brilliance of Mulligan, he also points to the role played by others. 'Well see, there was a lot of things in that, that people missed. Ultimately it was about Mugsy. It was an individual act on his behalf to get that goal. 'I have watched this numerous times. It started with a Dublin attack. Brian McGuigan blocked down Alan Brogan. Then it came back to Ricey. To Davy, to Stevie O'Neill who controlled the ball so delicately but never got total control of it. Then it was a toe-poke by Sean Cavanagh. Stevie made the pass then. 'When Mugsy got the ball he was the only man inside the Dublin 50 yard line. But Peter Canavan had just came on before that. Enda McGinley was out around the middle of the field and some way involved in the recovery. 'Him and Peter were running there and that's why Mugsy's dummies were bought so much; there was so much attention on who was coming on the inside. 'Peter's presence going into goals, Enda coming all that way, because of the presence of those two players it gave him the ability to sell those wholesale. It was a great finish and he played with great control when he got the ball. It will be remembered as a great individual goal, but it's also reflective of some brilliant team play.' Then came 2008. Dublin had given Wexford a 23-point hammering in the Leinster final. Tyrone were stumbling through the back-door and fetched up in the quarter-final, headlining the Sunday events. Justin McMahon and Diarmuid Connolly. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO 'Diarmuid Connolly came on the scene, I gave him his debut that year,' says Caffrey. 'I just felt offensively we were going to be a different animal. We probably put in our best performance under me in the Leinster final when we gave Wexford an awful trimming. 'And then we got this pissy wet quarter-final weekend. We were the last game on and Tyrone had come through the backdoor and were hardened. We were the right team for them on the day and had a great goal chance early on in the game and we overplayed it. 'They went up the other end and two goal chances, bang-bang. It was one of those days you feel you are a mile off it. 'For me, I felt we weren't making progress and I had to go before I was asked to go. I had been around that dressing room for seven years, manager for four and that's how it ended for me.' Under Pat Gilroy, Dublin kept adding layer upon layer. In 2010 they were more hard-nosed than Tyrone and got the better of them. In 2011, they retired a fleet of frontline players for Tyrone with a trimming. They've been doing it ever since, most notably their 2018 All-Ireland final win. Still, Tyrone came back to win the All-Ireland in 2021. Dublin succeeded them 12 months later. Both teams are in a different place now. Maddening inconsistency has been the story of their seasons so far. We don't know where either team are, until they face each other on Saturday night. They'll bring the very best and very worst out of each other. Again. And again.
Belfast Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘The people of Armagh have been paying my rent this last year': Viral singer opens up on beating cancer and becoming music legend in GAA scene
They say a lot can happen in a year, and south Armagh man Paul Loughran is the perfect testament to that. From being diagnosed with testicular cancer, to writing his county's most prolific GAA anthem, and then travelling the world based on his band's viral sensations — Paul is the ideal example of optimism, hard work and resilience. He makes up one-third of local folk group Plenty in the Tank, whose song 'G Stands For Geezer' became the theme tune for Armagh GAA's run to only their second All-Ireland win in 2024. Named aptly after the manager of the senior men's Gaelic football team, Kieran McGeeney — aka 'Geezer' — the song hit number 20 in the official Irish Singles Chart last August following the final. The song now has well over two million streams on the music platform Spotify, and it's picking up even more traction, now that Armagh are in the quarter-finals of the championship this weekend. Paul wrote the song, which he says has completely changed his life, but just a few months previous, he had received another life-changing announcement. 'I was diagnosed with stage two bilateral testicular cancer in early November 2023, which means I had cancer on both sides, and I had surgeries at the end of November and then that January (2024),' the 29-year-old explained. 'I then had a full month of chemo and got the all-clear in March. I think I left the cancer centre on March 14th or 15th, and then I went back to gigging again on St Paddy's Day, just a few days later. 'I had a sort of serious turnaround. Like, especially coming out of that [cancer treatment], I had no money whatsoever. 'I spent all my savings on just being alive for that couple of months, basically, and paying my bills and stuff.' What the Belleeks clubman didn't then realise, was that just a short while later, his fellow Armagh GAA fans would be helping sort out his bills. 'G Stands For Geezer' was created just a few weeks before Armagh went up against Galway in the All-Ireland final last July, with Paul dedicating one day in his bedroom to writing it and to say it took off instantly would be an understatement. 'I posted it on TikTok on a Wednesday afternoon and a couple of hours later it had a quarter of a million views,' he added. 'It was one of the first TikTok videos I ever posted and the reaction was absolutely mental.' Paul is even more grateful to the Armagh team for actually winning the Sam Maguire after it all, as the entire whirlwind has opened up more opportunities than ever before for Plenty In The Tank. 'We got to go to New York there with the team for a Q&A thing, we got to play in Manhattan, which was unbelievable, and then we got to go out to Abu Dhabi and Dubai there for Paddy's week,' said Paul. 'So we've got to get out into the world and do gigs, in places we'd obviously never have been gigging in before, and better still, we're still getting gigs from it; the amount of weddings we've been booked for just for people around Armagh — we're flat out.' The song has been getting around 10,000 streams a day since its release last summer, and that's on average, levelled out. It has been picking up again since the championship started this year, and as Armagh continue to get closer to an elusive second consecutive Sam Maguire trophy, Paul said the views and listens are increasingly climbing. He continued: 'I remember we were celebrating with the boys [Armagh team] over in New York, and they were all like: 'this is mental, and thank you for writing that song' or whatever. 'And I was saying, 'no, thank you for winning!' 'Because it wouldn't have been anywhere near as big as it was if we just got beaten in the final].' Reflecting on the last 12 months — beating cancer, extensive success and having their band be forever etched in GAA history - Paul noted that 'it was honestly the best year of my life'. He has also been able to give back to those who helped him, with Plenty In The Tank raising £2,000 for two charities — Friends of the Cancer Centre and Musicians NI. 'And now, I've been running for six weeks. I've signed up for the Belfast Half Marathon to try and raise a bit more money for Friends of the Cancer Centre. So, I'm trying my best to give back to them,' he said. 'The people of Armagh are absolute legends. I'm sorry to offend, but they're the absolute best fan base in the world, out of any sport, in any country. 'Thanks an absolute million to anybody that ever streamed or clicked on any videos that had 'G Stands For Geezer' on it — because you are still paying my rent.'
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Vincent Tuite – a true gentleman who enjoyed taking part in musicals and forged great friends in Greenore Golf Club
Vincent, who was born on July 10 1931, and was the eldest son of Laurence and Annie and brother to Brian, Aileen, Desmond, Kevin, Marie and Larry. Home was in the Deerpark and all was well until tragedy struck in 1944 with the passing of Laurence. Facing an uncertain future, there was no option but for Vincent to leave school and find work to support the family. He became an apprentice in 'The Dundalk Democrat' and continued to work there as a compositor until his retirement in 1996. Vincent's brothers and sisters often spoke of his quiet determination and his steadfast resolve to hold the family together during those difficult times. Never one to complain, they described him as a tremendous brother who in fact raised two families. Vincent always enjoyed Gaelic games and although an injury prematurely ended his own football career, he did have the opportunity to line out for the Christian Brothers school in Croke Park. However, football was only one of many pastimes. Vincent also enjoyed acting, often recounting stories of the evenings spent in the old Ravensdale Hall in plays and musicals under the direction of Fr. Hardy. Tears of laughter would roll down his face as he recalled forgotten lines, prompts across the stage or times when lines were forgotten altogether, all to the howls of laughter from the audience. Golf, and friendships forged in Greenore Golf Club provided many happy times for Vincent, none more so than his participation on the Newsam Cup winning team of 1987. There were also many golf trips to Portugal in retirement with a group calling themselves 'The Ryder Cup Team'. Having been born in Co. Monaghan, Vincent chose as his bride a young teacher from Scotstown, who had come to work in Dulargy National School. He and Maura McCann were married on August 5 1959. A devoted couple throughout their lives, they were seldom seen apart. They shared a passion for travel visiting many places throughout their married life, family holidays in Ireland, trips in Europe and Vietnam, also spending several holidays in Australia visiting son Ciaran and Vincent's brother Larry. Vincent and Maura shared an enjoyment of music and especially looked forward to attending performances by mezzo soprano Tara Erraught. The family were delighted that Tara and the Ravensdale Choir, of which Vincent was a long time member, were able to sing at the Funeral Mass, under the direction of Liz McConnon, organist. Working in Dundalk, Vincent became involved with the Local Civil Defence Unit and served on the Board of Directors of Cuchulainn Credit Union for many years. Faith was important to Vincent and he served as a Eucharistic Minister and Minister of the Word in the parish. A quiet man, with a great smile who enjoyed the simple things in life, his devotion to family will be forever remembered by his children, brothers and sister. Simply put, Vincent Tuite was a True Gentleman. Predeceased by his loving wife Maura, parents Laurence and Annie, brother Brian, sister Marie and son in law Barry. Survived by children, Anne, Margo, Joan, Ciarán and Tara, brothers Desmond, Kevin, Larry and sister Aileen. Daughter in law Tien, sons in law Jimmy, Gerard and Séamus. Grandchildren Valentina, Laura, Teresa, Christopher, Ruth, Claire, Luke, Oisín and Quan. Great grandchildren James, Aleigha, Leon and Jake. Having reposed at his home in Deerpark, Vincent was brought to St. Mary's Church on Thursday June 12 for Funeral Mass celebrated by Fr. S. Duffy P.P. assisted by Fr. P. Murphy. Symbols of his life were presented by grandson Luke, great grandchildren Aleigha and Jake, niece Catherine, with commentary by granddaughter Claire. Readings were given by daughter Joan and granddaughter Teresa. Prayers of Faithful read by daughters Tara and Margo, grandchildren Ruth and Christopher, brother Kevin and niece Siobhán. Offertory gifts presented by brothers Desmond and Kevin and nephew David. Reflection after Communion read by daughter Anne and Eulogy delivered by son Ciarán. Burial took place afterwards in Calvary Cemetery, Dulargy. The Tuite family would like to thank all those who called to the house, expressed condolences or sent Mass Cards. The Months Mind Mass for Vincent will be celebrated on Sunday July 6, at 11.30am in St. Marys Church, Ravensdale. Suaimhneas Síoraí i mbaclainn Dé
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: A feast of weekend sport is distraction we need in a world full of suffering
Over the past fortnight many of us have been stricken by a series of international crises, as the agenda of horrors changed hourly, epitomised by the outrages in Gaza and Ukraine slipping down the world news agenda. We all deserve an opportunity to switch off and get a little quality time. So, the upcoming weekend sporting banquet for Irish fans of all kinds brings us some ideal opportunities to simply enjoy the coming days. The fun starts in earnest today with the opening game of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in Perth. The really delightful news here is that all games kick off at 11am Irish time, allowing many of us a great chance to join in the excitement. A big talking point is Lions' team manager Andy Farrell's surprise decision to give the captaincy to Dan Sheehan of Ireland as he makes his debut in the red jersey. This honour has fed speculation on still more such preferments that may be coming his way. But let's avoid putting pressure on such a gifted athlete. Let's just enjoy the nine games of this tour as they build towards the first of three test matches against Australia in a fortnight, on July 19, in Brisbane. On the GAA fields, hurling is given a rest after recent thrills and upsets, and the focus is very much on Gaelic football, not forgetting Camogie and women's football. New football rules have improved things for spectators, and today and tomorrow the four quarter-finals of the All-Ireland go ahead at Croke Park. First, this afternoon, Donegal play old rivals Monaghan, with much speculation about how Donegal will fare after six-day turnaround from their last outing. Then comes Dublin versus Tyrone, which brings intrigue, as both sides have been something of an enigma this season. Tomorrow, Meath play Galway and, with both sides coping with injury problems, this one could go either way. Then Kerry face-off against champions Armagh in a potential game of the season. Tomorrow, all roads for racing enthusiasts lead to 'horse country central', on the Curragh of Kildare, for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Organisers hope the weather gods will smile and this fixture will gather crowds worthy of its glories in the recent past. All that is a mere flavour of what is on offer for the sports-mad Irish nation this weekend. These, and many other delights, offer a chance for us to forget the world's woes and have fun.
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Stylish Waterfall home at Earls Well hits market for €1.2m — could set estate price record
LOCAL lore has it that a well or spring in Waterfall was a regular pitstop for some historical notable to water his horses, perhaps while conducting the business of running a vast estate. Some of the speculation centres on the Earl of Bandon, as he may have passed through Waterfall on the road home. The theory works in favour of the original Gaelic name for Waterfall, Tobar an Iarla, or Well of the Earl. While the days of earls are long gone this side of the Irish Sea, Waterfall still has an upmarket sheen. Traditionally favoured by academics and medics, it's on the right side of Cork City for accessing major hospitals and third-level education facilities. Bishopstown is reachable in minutes, yet Waterfall feels distinctly rural. Twenty-first century developments continue to cement Waterfall's aura of fashionability. 11 Earls Well In the early noughties, Fleming Construction launched Heatherfield, a scheme of large, detached homes on the city side of Waterfall village, where dozens queued to view the showhouse in Celtic Tiger times. Reports were that some of the Heatherfield units sold for €1m a pop. They've never quite returned to those glory days, says the price register, albeit No 35 made €820,000 two years ago, and No 38, currently on the market with Frank V Murphy, is rumoured to be sale agreed at €1.15m. 38 Heatherfield is rumoured to be sale agreed in excess of €1m Heatherfield was a talking point in Waterfall until Fleming Construction unveiled plans for an even more ambitious scheme of 42 homes right next door to it, to be built on 30 acres bought from local publicans, the O'Shea family. That estate was Earls Well and it would be built to standards few estates could match. The first five homes lived up to the billing: Detached, O'Mahony Pike designed five-beds, the biggest was just shy of 4,000 sq ft. Unfortunately for the builder, the timing was disastrous and nothing sold as the downturn took hold. Flemings went into liquidation in 2010, one of the first major construction casualties of the collapse, with debts of a staggering €1bn. NAMA entered the frame during the post-crash mop-up and Townmore Construction took on the build work in late 2016. Another dozen homes were delivered — including No 11, featured here — before receivers for the Fleming group sold off the remaining land with full planning permission for 28 homes, which O'Callaghan Properties bought and finished out. The entire estate is now finally completed, fully landscaped, and all homes occupied. no 11 Earls Well To date, resales have been few and far between. Number 11's arrival to market should, therefore, excite interest among homeowners looking for a quality family trade-up within shouting distance of the city's western suburbs. Bought by the current owners in 2018, you could scarcely tell it's been lived in, so good is its condition. Although smaller than the original five in the scheme, it's still a very generous 237 sq m, and layout and light levels make it feel even bigger. Generous hallway at No 11 No 11, towards the back of the development — which is arranged in cul-de-sac clusters, around greens — was sold with a builder's finish for €603,300 in 2018. Its owners hired an interior designer to get it right inside. Warm, amtico, herringbone-style flooring runs throughout the ground floor, where heating is underfloor; bespoke wall panelling is a prominent feature; impressive 'media walls' in the family room and in the kitchen/dining/living room are the product of skilled joinery. Family room with built in media wall As the owner knows a thing or two about kitchens, the one at No 11 looks pretty good. Hand-painted, in-frame, with a large island, quartz worktop, and Belfast sink with insinkerator (garbage disposal), it also comes with a wine fridge and AGA electric range cooker. Bigger household appliances are in the adjoining utility. The island can sit three comfortably, and there's room for a few more at the dining table in the centre of the open-plan area, where a picture window overlooks the farmer's field next door. 'You get cows peeping in from time to time; it's great to have that when you are so close to the city, too,' the owner says. The open-plan area also accommodates an attractive lounge space, where glazing covers the entire back wall, overlooking the terrifically generous rear garden. A sliding door leads outside. The house is designed to capitalise on its rear aspect. It faces south west and big windows dominate its rear walls. Wraparound glazing is a feature of both the main, open-plan area and also the family room, where the second of three sets of sliding door leads to the large, sandstone patio. Family room The third sliding door is in the study, which has bespoke wall panelling, plantation shutters, and specially-built joinery for storing files and watching television. Generous bedrooms are a theme on the Ducon concrete, slabbed first floor; the main has both a walk-in closet and a quality en suite. All have plantation shutters and there's a second en suite. A floored attic runs the length of the house and there's also a garage for storage. Study The family aspect to No 11 continues outdoors where the rear is laid to lawn — plenty space for swings/slides/trampoline — while the front drive 'can accommodate 10-15 cars', says the owner. Plenty space for outdoor toys Because the houses at Earls Well are all on large sites — No 11 is on 0.4a — there's no sense of being overlooked. Mature hedging and electronic gates reinforce that sense of privacy, not to mention security for the children. The current owners are relocating for family reasons and Norma Healy, of Sherry FitzGerald, is handling the sale. She says 2,550 sq ft No 11 is 'the quintessential, modern family home', ready to go, with a best-in-class, A-3 energy rating. 'What's more, it's just minutes from Bishopstown and Ballinora national school is just half a mile down the road,' the agent says. Her price for this spacious, stylish home is €1.2m. If it makes the money, it will set a record for the estate. Two larger Earls Well units have already breached €1m, but both were bigger. However, neither was fully finished. VERDICT: The complete package for a family trading up who want to be a stone's throw from Bishopstown.
