Out of Africa . . . and into Tipperary

COUNTRY LIVINGIt's not such a long way to Tipperary now that a motorway is coming. These two houses in the country couldn't be different: one is steeped in tradition, the other has all mod cons

"ENGLAND HAD become so suburban," recalls Mrs Chenevix Trench, explaining why she and her late husband moved to Co Tipperary in 1971 after a distinguished spell of colonial service in twilight-of-Empire Kenya.

They settled in the countryside between Nenagh and Toomevara and found "it was like going back to the African bush". Though the natives, happily, proved rather more agreeable than the pesky Mau Mau.

Sadly, this formidable lady d'une certaine age is now packing up the old kitbag again and moving to London to be closer to her daughter. Her husband, Charles Chenevix Trench, a prolific author (of 17 titles) and occasional book reviewer for The Irish Times, died four years ago aged 89. An obituary in The Daily Telegraphnoted his Irish roots (an ancestor was Archbishop of Dublin) and birth at the Indian hill station town of Simla in 1914.

His father, a knight, was a member of the Indian Political Service and the son followed a classic path of public school (Winchester) and Oxford (Magdalen College) before being "commissioned into Hodson's Horse, the Indian cavalry regiment".

He had a "good war" and was awarded an MC for bravery during an attack near Assisi where he "set a magnificent example of coolness and disregard for his personal safety". After the Second World War, he became a district commissioner in the Kenyan colonial government until its independence from Britain in 1963. Back in Blighty he "taught English, Swahili, Urdu, history, symbolic logic and polo for six years" at a school in Somerset. Oh how standards in education have declined.

He retired and the family moved to Ireland where he purchased Lisnamoe House to "concentrate on his books, and on hunting, fishing and farming". And, in what must surely have been a first in the history of Irish poultry-keeping, "one year he named two turkeys Hitler and Goebbels, so that he would not mind killing them for Christmas".

Lisnamoe is to be auctioned in Nenagh on April 4th by William Talbot whose father sold the house to Mr Chenevix Trench 37 years ago for £12,500. He is seeking "in excess of €1.65 million" for the house and 25 acres of land which has good road frontage and development potential - at Ballymackey, seven miles from Nenagh and three from the village of Toomevara.

Lisnamoe is an elegant, small Regency country house of 258sq m (2,800sq ft) of a type which would have found favour with minor characters in Jane Austen's novels. It appears to be structurally sound and retains many original features - but will need to be modernised. After all, the spartan comforts and simple elegance of the English upper classes are not at all in keeping with the style our nouveaux riches have come to expect.

A cobbled yard has stone outbuildings crying out for imaginative restoration as living or work space; there's a lawn for Pimms and croquet; and a walled garden.

While we were being shown the house by the estate agent, Mrs Chenevix Trench sat by the Aga reading while Dogger, a Jack Russell, lolled at her feet. A plastic shopping bag from the House of Lords 'Refreshment Department' dangled from a hook on the kitchen wall. Social climbers take note: that's class.

"I shall miss my friends, but Ireland is ruined - too many people, too many cars, too many buildings," she says. The sun is finally setting on the old order.

Incidentally, she's taking Dogger, the spirited terrier who, she believes, may have had a close encounter with a panther reportedly on the loose in the area. Something rattled him lately. Memories of Africa on the plains of Tipperary? He's destined to spend his dog-days on leafy streets close to Kew Gardens. It's a long, long way from Tipperary. Goodbye Toomevara, farewell Puckane!

Lisnamoe House, Ballymackey, Co Tipperary

Regency house on 25 acres with original features needing refurbishment

Agent:Sherry FitzGerald Talbot

Home cinema, celebs and sailing

BALLINA, Co Tipperary, is not unlike Puerto Banus. But far classier. Both have smart waterfront homes and marinas bobbing with expensive boats.

Admittedly, the Spanish port enjoys bluer skies but the mid-west resort has friendlier people, cleaner air, nicer scenery and isn't overrun by west Dublin drug barons, thuggish Russian oligarchs and Arabian kleptocrats. And, even better, it doesn't have a Versace shop.

If the landlocked Premier County doesn't normally spring to mind when you think nautically perhaps you dozed off at a critical moment during Sister Perpetua's double-geography lessons.

North Tipperary is lapped by Lough Derg which Fáilte Ireland calls a "Pleasure Lake" and Ballina, on the southern shore, is twinned with Killaloe, Co Clare - just across a bridge over the river Shannon.

Four miles away, in the townland of Townlough, estate agent Brendan O'Connor describes the area as the "Hollywood of Co Tipperary" and home to "a host of 'celebrities" including Brendan Grace, Christy O'Connor Jnr, Dolores 'Euromillions' McNamara, Celia Larkin, Jean Butler" and, he believes, "possibly, Robert De Niro" (through a property company).

If you fancy plunging in with that jolly crew then your ship may just have come in. O'Connor is selling Dunromen, a "dream home" in a spectacular lakeside setting, which he and his wife Teresa designed together. Their children have grown up and it's time to downsize.

The sale, through his own agency BOC Properties, is by private treaty and a "discerning client" with €2.2 million is sought.

The house is on about an acre of ground so there is room for the nine bean rows and the hive for the honey bee. But we've come a long way since the poet's modest Innisfree vision of "a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made". With 500sq m (5,387sq ft) of living space, Dunromen is big enough to accommodate the Yeats Summer School.

This five-bedroom house will greatly appeal to a large family with an interest in sailing and would make a wonderful permanent - or holiday - home for people who like messing about with boats. Directly behind the house is a secluded, private deep-water harbour and slipway, which is an ideal launch pad for a quick spot of waterskiing or a leisurely cruise to one of 15 restaurants dotted at locations around the lake. Ms O'Connor points out that "it's a great house for parties" and "the lifestyle is special". She said "we often go out to dinner by boat to Ballina, Killaloe or Dromineer".

The house is designed for long summer days - and nights - with extensive outdoor, covered verandas accessed by six French windows. Most of the light-filled rooms have lake views. An impressive entrance hall has a floor tiled in marble and inset with panels of etched brass; a vaulted ceiling with Spanish beams; and a bog-oak mantelpiece. The aquatic theme permeates the property. A master bedroom features a deep sunken bath and an en suite wet room.

For chilly winter afternoons, when the lake may not beckon, there's a capacious hot-tub in the garden and a small gym in an outhouse. And when the evenings draw in there's a home entertainment system with a difference on the first floor.

A games room with a billiards table and walnut bar should keep the boys happy. And in keeping with the "Hollywood" ambiance, there's a cinema with wide-screen, surround-sound and six reclining seats.

Just imagine. Friday nights at the movies at home with fresh popcorn and some of the neighbours round - say Brendan Grace, Celia Larkin, and "possibly", Robert De Niro - for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This is Tipperary in Technicolor - as you've never seen it.

Dunromen, Townlough, Ballina, Co Tipperary

500sq m (5,387sq ft) five-bedroom lakeside house great for parties

Agent:BOC Properties