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dream home
Celebrity solicitor's home boasts a ballroom, cinema, cigar room and three bars
It also has its own 52-seater cinema and wine store.
MOST HOMES DON’T HAVE their own private bar. But celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean’s mansion in Wicklow has three, including a pub modelled on the old 108 in Rathgar, and another that services his 260-capacity ballroom.
His 11-bedroom house near Brittas Bay is nestled on two acres of woodland surrounded by a trout-filled brook, and asides from its three refreshment areas, also features a 52-seater cinema, wine store, cigar room, games house and a gym.
Kean – who is now moving to a penthouse in Dublin 4, the Irish Times reports – is selling his 1,638 square metre home. It’s on sale from Knight Frank for €3.75 million via Daft.ie.
Two of the bedrooms have access to a shared balcony which overlooks the gardens and river below, with all bedrooms boasting views of the two acres of manicured gardens, and a large roof terrace just off the landing. There are several patio and barbecue areas.
If you were wondering about the location of the third bar, it’s in the games area, which extends over two floors and contains the aforesaid custom-built bar as well as a toilet and shower area and an open-plan games space upstairs. This could be converted to a two-bedroom mews if planning permission was granted.
The country-style kitchen was actually designed by Roly Saul, of Roly’s Bistro fame. It contains an Aga with gas module oven and a four-ring hob, an island with a polished black granite work top and opens into a family room with period-style fireplaces and built-in bookcases.
The spacious double-height entrance hall showcases a significant collection of 42 prints by Irish artist Graham Knuttel, making Kean the world’s fourth-biggest collector of his work (just behind A-listers Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone).
Probably the most unexpected feature, the nine-sided double height ballroom has both a secondary bar and a mezzanine balcony that overlooks the dance floor and stage and contains a stairs that leads up to the first floor bedrooms.
Several rooms in the home have been designed with entertaining in mind, and one of these features is a dedicated wine store.
Another really interesting feature of the home is its 52-seater cinema, with original seating from the Adelphi Cinema in Dun Laoghaire which closed in 1977.
The traditional-style pub is fitted with the original bar from 108 Rathgar and has a full range of beer dispensers and drinks fridges.
Drayton Manor, Three Mile Water, Wicklow Town, Co Wicklow is on sale from Knight Frank for €3.75 million via Daft.ie.
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