between the Co Meath villages of Dunshaughlin and Ratoath sits Loch Gabhair, known in English as Lagore. In the 19th century, a long-submerged crannóg at Lagore became the first ancient lake dwelling to be discovered in Ireland. Subsequent excavations revealed a slew of artefacts, including a brooch believed to date from the eighth or ninth century.
The artificial island at Loch Gabhair, now a marshy site after the lake dried up over the centuries, was an Irish royal residence from the seventh to the tenth centuries. Its king in the ninth century was Tigernach mac Fócartai, whose great-great grandfather, Fogartach Mac’Artain, was a High King of Ireland.
When Aspect Developments, which is building 116 two, three, four and five-bed homes in Dunshaughlin, was looking for a name for the scheme, it settled on “cnoc”, because the homes are on a hill overlooking Loch Gabhair, and “Tiarnach”, the modern Irish name for Tigernach.
Aspect Developments was set up in 2014 in Ashbourne, where it built the Crenigans Bánóg scheme opposite Ashbourne Golf Club. It moved onto the commuter village of Dunshaughlin for Cnoc Tiarnach, launching it in October 2018.
The new scheme is already on its last stretch, with just nine homes for sale from its final phase. Some of the nine properties are already finished, while the remainder will be ready for occupancy by January.
While Cnoc Tiarnach has attracted downsizers from larger homes outside Dunshaughlin and Ratoath, it has also appealed to families trading up, because the attic trusses at the development’s four-bed homes were designed to facilitate a conversion into another living space. Indeed, the builders will carry out the conversion themselves as an optional extra.
Prices for the remaining homes at Cnoc Tiarnach start at €420,000 for a semi-detached home that was originally a four-bed measuring 1,442 sq ft but has since had its attic converted to create a fifth bedroom. There are also two four-bed detached houses spanning 1,507 sq ft apiece and costing from €435,000. Also available are six five-bed detached houses, ranging in size from 2,207 sq ft to 2,237 sq ft and priced from €535,000.
The timber-framed homes at Cnoc Tiarnach have a brick and render façade. The dark grey, double-glazed UPVC windows from Munster Joinery match the colour of the front door, which itself is surrounded by glazed panels. Each home has two off-street parking spaces, while a side entrance gate and rear patio doors both lead to the back garden, which is enclosed by block walls.
The interior walls are painted in a neutral colour throughout. There is a kitchen and a feature island unit in the kitchen/dining/family room and there are worktops to the utility area. However, buyers also have an option to receive an allowance for these finishes, as well as for the sliding door wardrobes to the master bedroom. Water conservation features were adapted in the fitout of the sanitaryware to the bathroom and ensuites, which also come with tiling.
There is underfloor heating throughout the ground floor of the A-rated homes, courtesy of a Thermia air-to-water heat pump system that can be controlled from different zones within each home.
For commuters who buy at the scheme, the M3 motorway has significantly reduced travel times into Dublin city centre, which is 34km away. The park-and-ride facility at Dunboyne, some 9km from Dunshaughlin, provides rail access to Connolly Station.
Viewings of the five-bed detached showhouse at Cnoc Tiarnach are held every Saturday and Sunday, from 2pm to 4pm.
Source: Read Full Article