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"Dazzling" renovations at historic
Donegal property
09.03.17
AN historic Donegal
property is on schedule to re-open shortly as an
exclusive wedding and events venue following major
restoration.
Rockhill House, on the outskirts of Letterkenny, is
now owned by the Molloy family who have been
"quietly working away on a dazzling renovation of
the property to its former Georgian glory".
The family, who run a dairy in Convoy, bought the
house and 30-acre estate for some €670,000 in 2014.
The property, which had been used for years as an
Army barracks, had by then laid idle for five years.
Rockhill's Army years had left "a utilitarian,
plasterboard layer on things" a spokesperson said.
"The architect and construction team were faced with
a gargantuan task. When they first stepped into the
house, it was possible to stand in the basement and
see the roof, three storeys above," she added. |
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Rockhill House, Letterkenny, which is
set to open as a top venue in May 2017. |
With careful
restoration, the majesty of the property is once
again being revealed including light-filled great
halls and galleries. Original features such as
cornices, ceiling roses and spiral staircases as
well as picture rails, ironwork and fireplaces have
been salvaged where possible and historically
replicated wherever the original has been lost to
time.
"Hundreds upon hundreds of 200-year-old parquet
blocks have been transposed from a Lancashire mill
while other notable features include a 13-metre high
cascading glass light and a chandelier in the grand
central hall weighing half a tonne."
The house, which is due to open in May this year,
will offer 19 unique bedrooms named for key figures
in the house’s history. Its gold and silver dining
room will offer "well-sourced good food, cooked with
care and style". Future guests can also look forward
to beautifully landscaped grounds and wooded walks.
Another goal for the Molloys is for the property's
traditional country farmyard to house units for
artisan food and craft production. |
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