An internet pioneer’s well-connected home on the Co Meath coast for €1.2m

With sea views that stretch for miles head just beyond the north Co Dublin border to the outskirts of Gormanston, Co Meath, where Silver Beach is an impressively sited, A2-rated, six-bedroom house overlooking the vast stretch of sand and the estuary of the river Devlin.

Its owner is Gerry McGovern, one of Ireland’s internet pioneers, whose consultancy Nua made headlines when Telecom Éireann, then the State-owned communications firm, bought a 20 per cent stake in it for IR£5.38 million in 1998.

While he has seen much of the world, he recalls his first thought when he saw the place was, “I’ll never see anything like this again.”

On a clear day you can see as far north as the Mourne mountains; the view south is of sea and headland, with the town of Balbriggan about 5km away.

So he bought it.

The house, which is on about a third of an acre, was constructed by Mark Stillman of Stillman Building Contracting and features a sea wall of gabians – wire cages filled with rocks – to prevent erosion. It is one of the best-sited homes on Co Meath’s short coastline, which runs for about 10km from Gormanston to Mornington.

The property is situated on the sea side of the Dublin to Belfast railway line but the glazing in the house dials down any sound. Gormanstown train station is about a 15-minute journey on foot by road, or 10 minutes if you take the scenic route and head up the beach. Gormanston College, a co-ed secondary school, is also a short walk from the house. Another crucial selling point for McGovern was the fact that Dublin Airport is just a 20-minute drive away.

He’s retiring to the sun – possibly Spain, he says – and put the property on the market in the months leading up to the first lockdown. It was sale agreed but, as was the case with many other deals, fell through.

The house is set over three levels with a self-contained flat at ground-floor level, designed for three-generational living. This includes several rooms including a large 35sq m (377sq ft) livingroom, a bedroom that extends to 24sq m (259sq ft) and is currently used as a gym, and two separate home offices.

The kitchen is on the first floor and accessed by a set of scenic steps which lead up to a terrace. Here that large kitchen features a shamrock green Aga, a large dining-cum-sitting area that looks out to the water and a library for the days when you tire of the ever-changing vistas.

The five bedrooms are on the second floor where there is another terrace overlooking the estuary. The main bedroom is a dual-aspect space with an en suite big enough for a separate shower and bath.

The property, which has granite stone detailing, extends to 422sq m (4,757sq ft). McGovern replaced the oil-fired central heating system with two heat pumps. There is underfloor heating throughout and ample hot water from the solar tubes on the roof.

The property is seeking €1.2 million through agents EMG Property Consultants.