Grand country houses are defined as much by the lives lived within their walls as by their architecture. At Bermingham House, Tuam, Co Galway, the stories of its residents are so closely intertwined with the estate that it is often difficult to distinguish history from legend.

Built in 1730 by the Earl of Louth and 15th Baron of Athenry John De Bermingham, the 200ac estate has had several notable owners and guests over the years.

In the early 1900s, the estate passed to the related O’Rorke and Cusack-Smith families and became the home of the legendary huntswoman and hostess Lady Mollie Cusack-Smith.

Renowned for her glamorous hunt balls, she established Bermingham House as a celebrated destination within Irish equestrian and social circles.

Among those said to have visited were poet Patrick Kavanagh, Gate Theatre founders Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards, and later, Mick Jagger and English singer-songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.

Aerial view of Bermingham House. The 200ac estate has a rich and colourful history.

Exterior of the two-bedroom mews house. Additional courtyard buildings offer scope for further redevelopment, subject to planning.

The courtyard contains several traditional stone outbuildings and stables.

From the road, a tree-lined avenue leads to the Georgian house, which is limewashed in a striking pink shade said to have been chosen by Lady Mollie as the closest match she could find to hunting pink.

With five bays to the east and four bays to the west, the seven-bedroom residence offers scale. Inside, the sense of grandeur continues through the mixture of formal and informal reception rooms, emphasised by the high ceilings, ornate coving, feature fireplaces, marble flooring and the dual-aspect sash windows. Located to the rear of the property off the back door, there is a one-bedroom self-contained unit spread over two floors.

The kitchen of the mews house, which is occupied by the current owner.

The entrance hall of Bermingham House, where the marble floor can be seen.

Having last undergone restoration work in the 1990s, the house is in need of some refurbishment and redecoration, but its inherent character and architectural scale make its future potential apparent.

Outside, the sweeping avenue continues past the front of the house and through a cut-stone archway into a large, enclosed courtyard adjoining the rear of the main dwelling. Home to several stables and traditional outbuildings, this area also includes a spacious two-bedroom mews house occupied by the current owner, which is in good condition throughout.

Mixed-quality land

Branching off from the main avenue, a laneway leads to the estate’s original farmyard, containing extensive outbuildings and a two-storey farmhouse that opens out on to the estate’s walled gardens and orchard.

Surrounding the core of the estate is mature parklands, comprised mainly of good quality grasslands which is suited to a variety of agricultural uses, along with a small portion classed as mixed-quality land.

A two-bedroom farmhouse is located in the original farmyard of the estate.

While the scale of the lands provides clear agricultural appeal, the estate’s extensive accommodation, rich history and the opportunity to redevelop some of its many outbuildings, subject to planning, offer further scope for tourism-related uses.

According to auctioneer Declan Quinn of DNG John Joyce, while initial interest focused on the land, with several local farmers viewing the estate as a potential holding farm, attention has shifted to the estate as a whole. Interest has come from buyers in the UK and Europe, as well as Irish emigrants seeking to return home and restore the house to its former glory.

Guided at €1.75m, the house is currently under offer.