Government may purchase Farmleigh mansion on 78 acres beside Phoenix Park

The Government may be among the bidders for Farmleigh, the Guinness mansion on the edge of the Phoenix Park, Dublin, which has been put up for sale on the international market. The Victorian house standing on 78 acres of parkland is likely to make in excess of £15 million.

The Iveagh Trustees in London yesterday informed the Government of its intentions to sell the house, which has been the Guinness family seat since it was built in 1882.

"It is now up to the Government and other potential buyers to reflect on the sale," Mr Robin Howard, chief executive of the trustees, said yesterday.

There is growing speculation that the Government may buy the property, either for entertaining foreign guests or as an official residence for the Taoiseach of the day. It may well be the last opportunity for the Office of Public Works to acquire a stately home so close to the city centre.

The bidders could also include the British Foreign Office, which is looking for an official residence for the British ambassador in Dublin following the sale of Glencairn in Sandyford.

The house is also likely to attract the interest of international hotel groups such as Hilton, which have made it known that they are interested in opening a five-star hotel in Dublin.

Farmleigh was lent to the Government in 1975 for the first meeting of foreign ministers in the State after Ireland joined the EEC. The estate has been used only on an occasional basis by the Guinness family since the death in 1992 of the third Earl of Iveagh, Benjamin Guinness. The property is being sold on behalf of the executors and trustees of the late earl.

Farmleigh has the distinct advantage of having its main entrance directly from the Phoenix Park - a distinction it shares with Aras an Uachtarain and the American ambassador's residence.

The three-storey house is built of Portland stone and is exceptionally large with a floor area of 40,000 sq ft. It includes six magnificent reception rooms, 20 large bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. There is a spectacular ballroom running the full width of the house, which is distinguished by decorative wood carvings to the walls and ceilings.

The other remarkable room is the oak-panelled library, which has two full walls of book-shelving divided by a gallery. The library contains a valuable collection of books which is to be retained by the Guinness family. The furniture and other fittings are also excluded from the sale, although the purchaser will have an option of buying some of the carpets, curtains and light fittings.

Farmleigh has outstanding formal and walled gardens, a courtyard, eight houses and two flats.

Joint selling agents Hamilton Osborne King and Knight Frank International are inviting offers "by informal tender" by July 29th. Mr Andrew Hay of Knight Frank told the press yesterday: "I defy anyone to name me a private house of this quality in any European capital, apart from Buckingham Palace. Farmleigh is a world class private home."