By Niall Toner
Asking price: 鈧975,000
Agent: Kelly Bradshaw Dalton (01) 8040500
Once a time capsule straight out of the 1930s, No22 Daneswell Road in Glasnevin, Dublin 9, has two very different faces today 鈥 one looking out from the past and the other taking a wholly contemporary view of the world.
When solicitor Aileen Murtagh and IT director Shane Mulligan first viewed the four bedroom 1930s semi back in 2013, they managed to see past the 鈥渂rown sticky light switches鈥 and suspended floorboards into a deep well of potential.
The property had been maintained by its previous owners but hadn鈥檛 seen much modernisation in decades, after it was built circa 1936.
鈥淚t was a house that had clearly been well kept, but it hadn鈥檛 been modernised in any way for, I鈥檇 say, 40 or more years,鈥 says Mulligan. Despite its dated condition, the couple saw the bones of a modern family home, and purchased it in November 2013.
What followed was a journey of extensive renovation that would transform the place into a bright, contemporary family home perfectly suited to modern living with three young children, now aged five, seven and 10.
No sooner had they moved in than Murtagh and Mulligan moved out again early in 2014 to allow for major works. “We did everything: rewired, new plumbing, new boilers, new controls, underfloor heating 鈥 anything we could possibly think of at the time that we could afford, we did,鈥 Mulligan says.
The transformation wasn鈥檛 just cosmetic; it was spatial. Working with architect Damian Sheerin, they added a single-storey extension that would fundamentally change how the family utilises the space. The decision to go single-storey rather than skyward was deliberate, they say.
鈥淲e sort of went with the single storey to give more of an open living space. We wanted to join up the rooms,鈥 Mulligan says. The extension, he explains, created the kind of open-plan living area that works so well for families with young children, where the parents can maintain sight lines while the little ones play.
Murtagh had clear ideas about what she wanted from the kitchen space. As someone who loves baking, she needed a kitchen with generous work surfaces and plenty of space for entertaining.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a big baker,鈥 Mulligan says. 鈥淪he really loves it, so we wanted a large kitchen area with surfaces and stuff like that that we could utilise.鈥
The kitchen extension delivers on this brief, creating a bright, warm space that serves as the hub of family life. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so bright and it鈥檚 warm all year round because we have the underfloor heating,鈥 says Murtagh, describing her favourite part of the house, particularly during morning and afternoon hours.
鈥淲e do a lot of barbecuing and hosting,鈥 Mulligan adds. 鈥淲e wanted to have an area where we could meet friends, and sit out and enjoy the garden.鈥
Demanding careers and a pregnancy during the renovation process required pragmatic decisions during the works, and as a result, the couple relied heavily on professional guidance. 鈥淲e moved in three weeks before our daughter was born,鈥 Murtagh says. 鈥淲hich may have influenced some decision-making timelines.鈥
鈥淲e had very clear ideas around the kitchen in particular,鈥 says Murtagh, who held firm on her vision despite some professional suggestions to the contrary. 鈥淚 stood firm and have no regrets.鈥
The architect provided valuable input beyond just the physical design. 鈥淗e gave us a lot of considerations around future living and stuff like that as well,鈥 Mulligan says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to have that type of person involved because if you were to do it yourself, you’d just put a simple little extension on without such ergonomic considerations.鈥
More recently, the couple engaged design company Foxburrow Interiors to help with the colour palette and finishes throughout the house. They got new cabinetry downstairs, and new furniture, as well as painting the whole downstairs.
The landscaping too was designed with practicality in mind. 鈥淲e purposely went for low maintenance. While we enjoy the garden and all the rest, we’re not really green fingered,鈥 Mulligan says. Despite the low-maintenance approach, they retained the best of the existing garden including two productive apple trees and other mature plantings.
鈥淎 lot of the other houses all have fantastic gardens because they all used to go back into the Botanic Gardens in the day and take a cut here and a slip there,” Mulligan says.
Beyond the house itself, the location has proved close to ideal for their family life, Mulligan and Murtagh say. The couple have good things to say about both the immediate street 鈥 where they say they have encountered a well of goodwill 鈥 and the broader area, from Na Fianna GAA Club, where the family now spend a large proportion of their free time, to new wine bar Mosaic, on Botanic Avenue.
鈥淚t is genuinely a great street. There are such lovely neighbours, a nice mix of old and new, young and old, and a lot of new younger families have moved in,鈥 Murtagh says.
The practical benefits are equally important to the couple. Both were able to walk to work in the city centre, and they say the area offers excellent transport links and proximity to schools and amenities.
According to local history, the road gets its name from an actual well, 鈥楧ean鈥檚 Well鈥, so called due to an association with the dean of Christchurch Cathedral. The townland adopted the corruption 鈥楧aneswell鈥 as its name in the 19th century, as did the road when it was developed in the 20th.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the family discovered just how well-served the area is with open spaces. 鈥淲e were so close to so many green spaces. Even ones we didn鈥檛 know we had pre-Covid, but you realise are within the two kilometres and the 5k,鈥 Murtagh recalls.
Now, after more than a decade of family life in the house, the changed work patterns over that time are driving the decision to sell. Mulligan now works from home full-time and desperately needs a dedicated office space.
The couple also say they are thinking ahead to the children鈥檚 future needs. 鈥淭he boys are all tracking to be six foot plus, and they are all going to need their space as well,鈥 Mulligan says. KBD is asking 鈧975,000.
Despite the practical reasons for moving, both express genuine sadness about leaving. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very sad at the prospect of leaving the house, and particularly our neighbours,鈥 says Murtagh. 鈥淭hough hopefully we won鈥檛 be going too far.鈥