Period Family Home For Sale in Co. Donegal

Special Features
– Spectacular coastal views across Donegal Bay
– Many original features intact
– Five bedrooms
– Direct access to Magherbeg Friary & Donegal Bay
– Late Victorian Family Home
– c. 11.33 ha (28 acres) of gardens and grounds
– Beautiful formal gardens and orchard
– Courtyard with additional outbuildings
– Two stables
– Separate two-bedroom courtyard apartment
– Hard tennis court
– Mature planting throughout
– Sheltered private location close to all amenities

Description and History
Historic, elegant and welcoming, Magherabeg House is detailed on the National Buildings of Ireland survey as being charming, with much of its original character intact. Lovingly maintained by its owners, the house also has all the contemporary conveniences you could need.

Set on approx. 28 acres and sheltered by mature planting, the site offers complete privacy and seclusion, within just two kilometres of Donegal Town. Add to this approximately one kilometre of water frontage onto Donegal Bay and you have a remarkable home to make your own.

With five bedrooms, a very generous set of reception rooms, and a separate two-bedroom courtyard apartment, Magherabeg offers a great deal of flexibility, whether you are looking for home office facilities, staff accommodation, rental income, or space for the extended family. The courtyard itself has two stables, and the generous land that comes with the house lends itself to equestrian or other country pursuits.

Donegal has one of the most spectacular, and unspoiled coastlines in Europe, and with Ireland West Airport just an hour and a half away, Magherabeg also has huge potential as a remarkable Irish retreat.

Magherabeg House
A charming hallway, with stained glass flanking the front door and reaching to the fanlight above, welcomes you into Magherabeg House. This opens to a wider internal hall, with a feature staircase. To the left is a very well proportioned and elegant dual aspect dining room, with a deep bay window and an open fireplace.

Beyond this, the drawing room has an Adams fireplace, garden views, and opens to a piano room with French windows to a sheltered patio. The family sitting room is to the right of the entrance hall, with an open fire, and garden views through a pair of tall sash windows. This also looks out on to the lovely veranda, which is one of the many special features of this beautiful home.

To the rear, there is a study, wc and boot room with access via the utility room to the courtyard and associated outbuildings. Completing the ground floor is a country-style kitchen / breakfast room with plenty of space for cooking and baking, an Aga, and built in corner seating.

Upstairs, there are five bedrooms, all of which are doubles, and all of which have wonderful garden or sea views. The Master has sea views and shares a Jack and Jill ensuite with the second bedroom, while there is also a very generous bathroom suite with shower room and dressing room shared by the other bedrooms. The layout is easily amenable to adding additional ensuites, should you require. There is plenty of storage, and a second floor attic space, giving even more options.

An additional two-bedroom apartment in the courtyard adds to the flexibility, and to the potential of this very special home.

Gardens and Grounds
Set on approx. 28 acres of grounds, Magherabeg House is reached via a winding avenue of mature trees. Sheltered, secluded and utterly private, the grounds offer peace, and the spectacular drama of approximately one kilometre of ocean frontage, giving views across Muckross Strand, and Donegal Bay dotted with tiny islands.

While open fields sweep down to the sea, offering uninterrupted views; closer to the house, the gardens have been beautifully landscaped over the centuries. There are woodlands and walks, and an attractive courtyard with outbuildings and barn storage.

A walled and hedged orchard includes a feature greenhouse for sensitive plants and setting up seedlings for the kitchen gardens. Meanwhile, rose gardens and well stocked borders make the more formal gardens a delight. A charming Summer House marks the entrance to the rock garden and means your outdoor spaces are practical to maintain, as well as beautiful and restful to enjoy.

A flat lawn, ideal for croquet, is flanked by a hard tennis court, and there are seating areas dotted about on the stone work patio, gravelled areas and lawns. Within the grounds, the remains of Magherabeg Friary, dating back to the fifteenth century, adds to the atmosphere of this exceptionally special place.

Location
Reaching up to the tip of the Wild Atlantic Way, Donegal has some of Ireland, and Europe’s most unspoiled coastline. Under 2 km from Donegal town, and within easy reach of the necklace of gorgeous seaside spots that string these shores, Magherabeg House is ideally located for Killybegs and Ardara, and for inland beauty spots including the famed Glenties, and Station Island, made famous by poet Seamus Heaney.

A former market town, Donegal Town is the anchor for the county, and is a mixture of historic and happening, with outdoor sports enthusiasts, including walkers, climbers and surfers contributing to the culture of the locality. There are artisan shops, a farmer’s market, restaurants, bars and cafés, as well as general stores, schools, excellent hotels and healthcare. The acclaimed Earagail Arts Festival runs annually each July across the county, and the Donegal Craft Village is also on your doorstep.

Distances
– Under 2km from Donegal
– 20 km / 18 mins to Ballyshannon
– 53 km / 50 mins to Letterkenny
– 60 km / 45 mins to Sligo
– 117 km / 1 hr 30 mins to Ireland West Airport at Knock
– 215 km / 2 hr 50 mins to Dublin City
– 222 km / 2 hr 50 mins to Dublin Airport
– Derry Airport 89km / 1 hr 20mins
All distances and times are approximate.

BER Details
Exempt