Certainly one of the top five sought-after private estates in Ireland presently; positioned on the banks of the River Clodagh, close to Thurles, Co. Tipperary, is currently being offered for sale.
The fully restored Moyaliffe House Estate, at Ballycahill, Thurles; situated on 4.85 hectares (some 12 acres) comes on the market with an initial price tag of €850,000.
Moyaliffe Castle was to became the home of the Armstrong family circa 1695, when Thomas Armstrong (1671-1741) purchased the townland and the ruins of a tower-house which had been built here, by the Butler family in the early fourteenth century. Thomas was the younger son of Captain William Armstrong of nearby Farney Castle who had come to Ireland to fight for the royalist cause in the Irish Confederate Wars.
The Armstrong family were originally of Scottish origin and are said to have derived their name during the Battle of the Standard (22nd August 1138), when a warrior of the Armstrong clan lifted a fallen King David I (Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim) back onto his horse by using just one arm. The family motto, “Vi et armis invictus maneo” (Translation – ‘By force and arms I remain unvanquished’), truly reflects the warlike nature of this then famous clan.
The Armstrongs held on to the Moyaliffe Estate more than three hundred years, from 1695, until 1999, during which time, despite the property remaining vacant for many years, they kept the house in reasonable repair. The property was then purchased by Mr John & Mrs Breda Stakelum and their daughters Laura & Ashling, [Stakelum’s Hardware Retail Park, Nenagh Road, Thurles]. Their timely purchase now ensured a full, extremely sensitive restoration of this estate, ensuring the retention of Georgian symmetry; Victorian charm; down to the two-person, hidden, secret compartment for females, complete with water supply, being retained within the main house structure.
The Armstrong family were extremely sensitive and considerate landlords down through the years, offering considerable employment and feeding the local poor during the Great Famine, 1845-1849. One of the family, John Armstrong died from a fever contracted while working to support the poor during this period. During the period immediately prior to Ireland gaining its Independence; while many of the estate houses of Protestant landlords were burnt to the ground; Moyaliffe House was actually guarded by Irish Republican Army (IRA) members, who operated locally.
Moyaliffe House Grounds
The 4.85 hectaress (12 acres) grounds at Moyaliffe include landscaped gardens with mature trees; the site ruins of the original Butler tower-house; a walled garden; and a rare long Gallipoli beech tree walk, running close to the banks of the trout filled River Clodagh, latter which runs through the property; and all of which offers truly exceptional peace and privacy to the occupier.
A sheltered, sunny inner patio leads off the now modernised Victorian kitchen, while another extends from the drawing room / library, French windows, giving a marvellous view from both the inside looking out and outside looking in house.
Situated in the heart of some of Tipperary’s picturesque countryside; these private grounds offer leisure amenities, including pleasant walkways, and a hard-court tennis court. There are also Victorian outhouses in a separate coach yard, an arrangement which could suit either dedicated equestrians, or others, with an eye for renovation and redevelopment.
You can get further information regarding this most historic of properties and the Armstrong family, who once owned it HERE.
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