A unique chance to own this charming country house with close proximity to Shannon airport.
Set in the heart of the Limerick countryside and on the doorstep of Adare village, The Gables, Cappagh was bought and lovingly restored by an Irish-born interior designer, Agnes Kinney in 2000. Agnes returned to Ireland to buy and restore a dream Irish country house. Born on a farm overlooking the Shannon River in Co. Kerry, she joined her sisters to start a new life in New York in 1956, but always had the vision of one day buying a period country house near where she was born.
She met her husband, Kevin Kinney in East Durham, NY, in the heyday of the Irish Catskills aka the Irish Alps. The documentary, “Dancing at the Crossroads” by Kevin Ferguson chronicles this magical era. They were married in Killarney in 1959.
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Agnes and Kevin Kinney. Image: Deirdre Brennan.
Agnes and Kevin raised their family in storied Bronxville, New York, in Westchester County. The family spent idyllic summers on the farm in Beale, an experience that instilled a love of the country in all four of her children. Agnes ran a successful Irish import shop in Bronxville called Carrig Isle (named after an island in the Shannon river) and afterward a retail clothing and design business. Her “jazz age” Tudor house was featured in two top American interior design magazines. She brought her design talent and discerning eye to the restoration and decor in keeping with the style of this stunning house and garden. Her love of Irish furniture and paintings is evident throughout the house.
The country kitchen features an Aga and the adjoining dining room with stone fireplace leads to a large year-round conservatory with underfloor heating and doors to the terrace and garden. The library with custom bookcases and a beautiful sitting room both have stone fireplaces and lovely architectural details. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs and a powder room downstairs.
Restored outbuildings include stables and a garden building. There is also a kitchen garden, enclosed apple orchard, and front and back garden.
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Agnes Kinney. Image: Deirdre Brennan.
A much-loved family home, visited by family and friends from the US and Europe, the Gables is close to the renowned Clonshire Equestrian Centre and famed golf courses, Adare Manor, Lahinch, and Ballybunion. A quiet boreen is the perfect setting for family horse rides.
Her daughter, Deirdre and her husband David live nearby in a rectory they restored with Agnes’ keen design eye. They regularly travel between NYC and their country home as the proximity to Shannon airport and the country setting provides the perfect escape from busy city life. Horses and golf are the main attractions as well as the village of Adare.
Until recently her daughter Beth lived at Cappagh and nows travel frequently back and forth from New York. Her other daughter Maura lived in Dublin, Marbella and New York working in international real estate. Her son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law, Ali live in Greystones, County Wicklow. The whole family has embraced their ancestral links.
This hidden gem, in a charming setting, is the perfect country home for a family or an easily accessible vacation or weekend retreat. You too can live the dream.
You can see more about the listing at the Wall Street Journal listing here or the Irish Daft listing here.
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