Homes where the waters run free - at least for now

With a water tax on the horizon it’s time to take another look at properties that come with their own supply of H20. There are plenty of them out there, near the city and deep in the country, with their own stretch of river, or stream, not to mention mill races, wells, lakes – even ponds are worth a second look, now that the Government wants us to pay for every drop of the stuff. A large percentage of country houses and cottages already have their own well, and in time they may come up with a scheme to tax those too. But with this selection of properties, the water is plentiful and free – so far at least.

Tipperary: €545,000

THE MULCAIR river flows through the 12 acre grounds of Glenculloo Lodge at Killoscully near Newport Co Tipperary while drinking water in the house is supplied by a gravity feed from Keeper Hill mountain.

For sale through Knight Frank, the five-bedroom house has 252sq m (2,720sq ft) of living space, including three reception rooms with open fireplaces, original sash windows and working shutters.

There is also a study and a library while at the back of the house is a large comfortable kitchen and walk-in pantry.

The grounds are divided into areas of garden and woodland, with a bridge crossing the river close to the house.

There is salmon fishing in the river in November, while trout can be fished in summer, according to selling agent Harriet Grant.

Kilkenny: €950,000

HIDDEN away on a secluded stretch on the banks of the River Nore, with access through the woods, is The Boathouse, a three-storey contemprary house that is surrounded by the woodland of the Woodstock estate near the village of Inistioge.

The 371.6sq m (4,000sq ft) house is reached via an unpaved road through bluebell-filled woods Accommodation is spread over three floors and includes six bedrooms – five of which are en suite.

A geothermal system provides under-floor heating on the ground and first floors and there’s also back-up, oil-fired central heating. The house has its own well and a pressurised water system.

There is a burglar alarm, security lights and automated gates.

Kilkenny: €325,000

LOCATED on the border of Tippeary and Kilkenny, close to Carrick-on- Suir, The Slate Quarry, left, is a charming complex of farmhouse and cottages with gardens running down to to the River Linguan.

Asking €325,000 through joint agents Michael Daniels and Shelley Purcell, the houses are surrounded by five acres of grounds, allowing for plenty of privacy. Extensively renovated and rebuilt in recent years, the main house is a pretty cut-stone cottage with two large reception rooms, both fitted with wood-burning stoves, and two bedrooms. Exposed stone walls are a feature.

Three outbuildings have been converted to individual cottages suitable as holiday lets. There is also a workshop and a store.

The property takes its name from the nearby quarries, which were heavily mined in the mid-19th century.

The grounds have been landscaped and planted with a variety of trees and shrubs and there’s plenty of space in a paddock to keep a pony or two.

Wicklow: €2.75m

KILLISKEY Lodge near Ashford in Co Wicklow has the kind of price that suggest its owners are in no hurry to sell. The four-acre property is on the market through Lennox Estates at €2.75 million. Gordon Lennox describes it as “a trophy home in the Wicklow hills” and certainly it’s a large house with 371.6sq m (4,000sq ft ) including five bedrooms, and a three-storey tower with a lookout room on top.

The house is surrounded by lush gardens with a stream wandering through the gardens feeding a large pond. Originating as a 19th century lodge on the Dunran Castle Estate, the property includes a long woodland walk.

Dublin 16: €1.75m

THE driveway of Palmyra, Whitechurch Road in Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, wanders across a bridge over the fast flowing Kismashogue River, before proceeding to the house, which dates from 1840. The property was originally owned by one Thomas Bewley who operated a watermill upstream.

The five-bedroom house on 2.5 acres of mostly walled grounds is for sale through Knight Frank at €1.75 million. The 285sq m (3,075sq ft) house has three fine reception rooms and a large kichen warmed by an Aga.

The house is located opposite the Grange golf course, with Marlay Park also on the doorstep.

Mayo: €350,000

THERE is water as far as the eye can see from this lakeshore home on Lough Mask in Co Mayo – 20,000 acres of water in fact, and all at the end of a private slipway from an attractive five-bedroom house in walk-in condition.

For sale through Helen Cassidy Auctioneers at €350,000, the house is at Curramore, close to the market town of Ballinrobe, and to Ashford Castle hotel.

There’s 1.25 acres of grounds around the house and inside, plenty of space for entertaining. The ground floor has a large livingroom as well as a conservatory that’s just a short stroll from the water’s edge.