The South Circular Road, which runs from Kilmainham through Rialto and Dolphin’s Barn to Portobello, is one of the longest in the city. Dating from 1773, the houses along the 2.5-mile road were built at different stages by various builders. For a time, this part of Dublin 8 was known as “Little Jerusalem”, with the 1911 census showing that 28 per cent of the 1,185 households around Dublin’s South Circular were Jewish.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the profile of the residents along the road changed as the houses were divided into flats. Then, in the late 1990s, the gentrification of Dublin 8 slowly began as one by one, young professionals moved in and brought the houses back to single dwellings.
Number 589 South Circular Road has been upgraded and extended through the years and now is on the market through DNG with an asking price of €925,000. The owners bought it in 2021, when they fell in love with the character of the house and the convenience of the location.
The terraced house had been well-looked after by its previous owner, so there was little work to do bar putting their own stamp on things. It is set back from the busy road thanks to a small garden in the front with enough space to park one car and a tiled pathway up to the front door.
Behind the ivy-clad facade is 140sq m (1,507sq ft) of floor space. Inside the hall has an arch and panelling, with two reception rooms to the right. The features in the livingroom like the original floorboards, ceiling coving, marble fireplace and the shuttered sash window frame have been meticulously maintained. Double doors open into the diningroom, also with a fireplace and original floors.
The back of the house can be accessed from steps in the hall or through a set of French doors in the diningroom. At this lower level is the kitchen with a small extension providing a bright breakfastroom. There is something very charming and old-world about part of the house. The floors are tiled in black and white, there is a solid fuel stove, and the units are country-kitchen style.
There are two sets of doors out to the south-facing garden from these back rooms so on a sunny day when the doors can remain open, it really feels like there is very little division between outside and inside. There is a patio right outside the doors with lush borders on either side and a lawn and shed to the back.
Upstairs on the return is a bathroom with a free-standing bath and separate shower. Behind this is a utility of sorts with plumbing for a washing machine and dryer.
On the first floor there are three bedrooms, with the main bedroom at the back of the house, and a double and single at the front.
All windows in the house are double-glazed, there is three-zone gas-fired central heating system and the insulation in the attic has been upgraded earning the property a C2 Ber.
Number 589 is at the Kilmainham end of the South Circular so there is a good selection of cafes and restaurants within walking distance, as well as the Phoenix Park and the Irish Museum of Modern Art at Royal Hospital.
The owners love the area and the “incredible” community around them, but unfortunately circumstances have meant they have to sell up to move closer to family. They will be sad to say goodbye to the property and say that even after living there for nearly four years, the charm and character of the house still has the capacity to surprise them daily.
