Drimcong House, the award-winning country house restaurant in Moycullen, Co Galway, is to be offered for sale later this summer. The 17th century house, which stands on 20 acres of grounds, including a lake and organic gardens, is owned by acclaimed chef Gerry Galvin and his wife Marie. Hamilton Osborne King expects the property to fetch in excess of £750,000 at auction on August 6th.
The Galvins have operated Drimcong as a restaurant since 1984, garnering numerous food awards along the way and attracting a loyal following that includes the former president, Mary Robinson, and actress Mia Farrow. Drimcong has also been their home and over the years they resisted the temptation to convert the upper floors to lucrative guest accommodation. However, since none of the couple's three grownup children intend to follow them into the business, the Galvins have decided to sell up. The 50-seat restaurant will remain open throughout the summer with a closing date planned for October, according to Gerry Galvin.
While Drimcong is being sold as a going concern, it is also likely to appeal to house-hunters seeking a large period home within an easy commute of Galway city.
"I think it is probably more likely to be sold as a country property than as a restaurant," said Gerry Galvin. There are very few estate houses so close to Galway on the Connemara side. It is 15 minutes away from the city and it has its own lake and woodland and beautiful lawns."
Drimcong dates from the 1670s and was formerly the home of a branch of the Galway Lynch tribe. The two-storey over basement house would convert easily to an imposing family home. It is set at the end of a tree-lined avenue and surrounded by colourful gardens and lawns leading down to its own lake. Carefully restored and maintained by the Galvins, the house is in very good decorative order. There are three fine reception rooms at hall level, two drawing rooms and an interconnecting dining room.
To the rear of the house is a large kitchen, a utility room and a secondary kitchen. There are five bedrooms on the first floor, one of which has an en suite bathroom. Two more bedrooms are in the attic.
The basement has a wine cellar and several store rooms as well as a family kitchen.
The grounds are particularly attractive, with wide expanses of lawn fringed by an abundance of flowering shrubs and sheltered by mature trees.
The 10-acre organic garden provides the restaurant with a full range of vegetables and fruit, including unusual salading, artichokes and radishes. There is also a large polytunnel planted with tomatoes and courgettes. There are several outbuildings. "It is fair to say that we have mixed feelings about leaving," said Gerry Galvin. "We love this place and have put all our energies into it. To maintain an old house like this and these gardens takes a lot of effort and love and we are sad about letting it go."
