Bayly House dates from the early 19th century, is square in plan and named after those who have farmed the land down through the years. Steeped in history, it is slightly up river (nearer to Nenagh) from Ballinaclough Castle. Built in the 13th century, this limestone castle would have been a fortress with a long and colourful history.

Bayly House was built in the early 1800s maybe as a schoolhouse or even as living quarters for those working on what was then a 1,000-acre estate. The Bayly family, owning 50% of the land in Ballinaclough, up to 700 acres, were prominent gentry and highly respected in the late 1800s.

Georgian home

The house is a real Georgian period residence that has been extended in recent times with the addition of a modern self-contained wing. There are also a number of traditional stone buildings and outhouses in close proximity to the house.

Walking through the three downstairs reception rooms, you see and feel all the features of a real Georgian house with thick walls, splayed window frames, a large cast-iron chimney and interconnecting rooms.

The kitchen is more modern and has french doors out to the graden. There are numerous other smaller rooms with plenty of storage. Upstairs there are five well-proportioned bedrooms, one en suite, and two bathrooms. You can access the modern rear wing through an internal door. It contains another kitchen, living/dining room, two bedrooms and other storage rooms. It is possible to access and use this wing for other purposes separate to the main house.

What is being offered?

The house is being offered with about 12 hectares (29 acres), which includes a relatively new hardwood plantation, tillage ground and grassland paddocks surrounding the house gardens. The surrounding lands are mostly in cereals. To the right as you drive in, there are three hectares (seven acres) under tillage, flanked by 2 hectares (five acres) of an oak and ash plantation.

There is another 1.2 hectares (three acres) to the left in front of the house and then right in front of the house, going down to the banks of the river, there is another 2 hectares (five acres). The rest of the 12 hectares is made up of mostly gardens and mature woodland.

Eoin Dillon, joint agent with Colliers International for Bayly House and Farm on the outskirts of Nenagh town showed me around the Georgian house and adjoining lands. Ballinaclough is a small rural parish tucked away in the countryside, yet very close to the town of Nenagh.

Owners plan to downsize

Owners Desmond and Jacqui Bayly are planning to downsize their living arrangements and hence the sale of this prestigious holding, which is currently used as a guesthouse and farmland.

While only 3km from the town centre, it’s almost as if you are in a different world at Bayly. When you stand at the front door and the wind dies down, you can hear the Nenagh River.

Walk out on to the front lawns, closer to the river, and you can hear water gushing through the salmon trap that is positioned very close to the front of the house.

This holding is a ideal spot for someone who needs to be near a motorway and town, but with a desire to live in the country. The house and farmland is guided at €750,000.