Lakeside hideaway in Co Tipperary

Garryurra, a fine lakeshore property on Lough Derg, and once part of the nearby St David's Estate, comes with an unusual extra – a family of swans. The previous owner, a woman well into her senior years, who used to swim to Dromineer and sail from the shores of the property, had one request to the current owners: "please feed my birds".

Having kept their promise, the family who purchased the house in 2000, say there are now a host of birds who visit, including a bevy of swans “who are now like family pets”, and also consider the property on 10 acres to be their home.

The house has been used as a holiday home for the past 16 years by the current owners, who spent 20 years searching for a suitable property on the lake near Dromineer.

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As their family is now grown up, the 390sq m property is on the market through estate agent Savills with an asking price of €1.495 million.

No expense was spared when the house was given an overhaul in 2000. All windows and patio doors – which run the entire length on the lakeside – are energy efficient custom builds by Marvin Windows.

Both the kitchen and study feature bespoke units by Clive Christian, with solid mahogany units in the study, and hand-painted units including corbels over a four-door Aga in the kitchen.

Flooring on the ground floor is wide plank hickory, and rooms to the rear open out to a patio overlooking the manicured gardens and lake.

The property has four bedrooms and the en-suite master features a balcony and two dressingrooms.

Adjacent lies a garage with an overhead games room, which is connected to the main house.

Also included is a two-room chalet, which new owners may want to renovate into guest accommodation.

The grounds, which stretch to more than 10 acres and include a walled garden and woodland walks, were designed by Angela Jupe – founding chairman of the Garden & Landscape Designers Association.

The real selling point of Garryurra is its location set at the edge of the water. With a slipway for boats into a 10ft deep channel, boating and fishing enthusiasts have more than 130sq km of Lough Derg to discover.

In addition to the bevy of swans and abundant wildlife, two, of only eight pairs, of Ireland’s white-tailed sea eagles have also chosen Lough Derg as their home.