"When Desmond Courtney bought The Schoolmaster's House in Ireland's horse heartland in 2002, he turned it into a "bachelor pad". The civil engineer did most of the restoration of the property himself, with some help from friends. After nearly two decades of living there alone, a random reunification with his long-lost love Monica (née Barron) transformed his life and his Kildare home."
""The house originally dates back to 1885, when it was built by the La Touche family," he says. "They were prominent 17th century French Huguenots who became dominant bankers and developers across the Pale." It was home to the schoolmaster of Brannoxtown National School next door, just down the road from Kilcullen. "It's also next to a church and right across the road from the Aga Khan's private stud. We call it K4 in reference to D4. It's got all the big studs in Ireland.""
Desmond Courtney purchased The Schoolmaster's House in 2002 for €230,000 and converted the 1885 property into a long-term single-occupant home. The civil engineer led most of the restoration work himself, supported by friends and drawing on a family trades background. The renovation included major structural alterations such as moving the staircase and reconfiguring the hallway to add two upstairs bathrooms, one en suite. The property sits beside Brannoxtown National School, a church and the Aga Khan's private stud near Kilcullen in Kildare. The house is now listed for sale at €689,950 after a romantic reunification altered Courtney's life.
Read at Irish Independent
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