Is this Castleblayney home with a heated indoor swimming pool Monaghan’s first €1m house?

Asking price: €1m

Agent: Savills (01) 6634307​

Mobane House in Monaghan is about to make a big splash on the homes market for myriad reasons.

The six-bedroom, detached family home at Castleblayney not only has a huge indoor swimming pool and is within walking distance of watersports facilities at Lough Muckno, but it’s currently the only home in the county to carry a €1m price tag.

While big country estate homes in Monaghan may have come close to the million mark in the past based on large land holdings, this is the first property in the county to be offered at €1m without substantial agri-earning potential, says selling agency Savills.

Mobane House comes with five acres of gardens and grounds. At 9,836 sq ft, or the equivalent of more than nine times the size of an average semi-d, it is also one of the country’s largest homes for sale right now.

Built in 1985, it was designed for its first owners, the Devlin family, by the architect Fergus Flynn Rodgers from Louth. The Hughes family acquired it in 1991.

Whether it crashes through that six-figure sale barrier or not, the architect-designed home will forever be etched in the memory of Bronagh Hughes, who grew up here.

Hughes, who now lives in Dublin, was 10 years old when the family moved in. “We all have fabulous memories of growing up there. It was an idyllic place for young children,” she says.

“We used to spend from early April to October waterskiing on the lough. My father would come home from work and take us all waterskiing in the evening. It was wonderful.”

Aside from her parents Barry and Sally, she has four siblings. Sally is a former teacher from Castleblayney and her father Barry an entrepreneur from Armagh.

The family set about making some structural changes on moving in. They knocked in the walls of the kitchen and extended it by 10ft, making it an open-plan kitchen/breakfast/living area.

They also added an Aga stove, a big island unit in the middle, with floor lights surrounding it.

“The plan was to make it into a warm, country kitchen,” says Bronagh. “The finishings were of a very high quality and they’ve lasted.” It’s also her favourite room.

“It was very much the heart of the home,” she says. “The Aga gives off great heat and we would vie to stand in front of it on cold days.”

Around the same time they made the garden bigger by incorporating a field beside it and landscaping it, adding trees and shrubs.

The house was fully furnished when the family acquired it and came with a grand piano, which all the children learnt to be play.

Wood panelling was added to the walls in the sitting room where the piano stands. There’s also a dining room, drawing room, a snooker room and a home office.

Each of the six bedrooms (two of which are en suite) was individualised with different furnishings and fitted wardrobes.

“My mother wanted every room in the house to be different,” she says.

The unusual pincer-shaped entrance was also renovated, new yellow-patterned wallpaper and a plush red carpet with a yellow border added underfoot.

It leads to a grand octagonal-shaped reception hall where the same furnishings are continued. There’s a dramatic period-style mahogany staircase with a 60-degree internal gallery and a chandelier hanging above.

In 2014, the attic was insulated and flooring added. In addition, a walk-in storage area was created in the eaves.

The roof and the walls of the house were further insulated. The family also went about extending the size of the swimming pool.

The private indoor leisure complex also comes with a sauna, Jacuzzi, changing rooms, shower and a games room.

“It has been a very welcoming home and there were always visitors coming and going,” she says.

“Its size meant that you could have a group of people in one room and more in another, but there was always somewhere you could go for some peace and quiet too.”

Her mother Sally went to a lot of effort to decorate the house for Halloween, Easter and Christmas.

“She used to hang the Christmas stockings above the fireplace in the kitchen and in later years, she added more for her grandchildren. Christmas, in particular, was just wonderful in the house and full of atmosphere.

“We had some very memorable gatherings over the years. There were times where all the doors would be open and there would be people in every room with a sing-song happening in one and a mini disco in another. Inevitably, people would end up in the pool.”

The house is directly opposite and within walking distance of the entrance of the Concra Wood Golf and Country Club. The proximity of Lough Muckno would also appeal for those seeking to let the property out to guests.

“At the weekends, people come to swim or to fish and have barbecues on the lakeside. You can also cycle around the lake as the ground is flat,” says Bronagh.

“As young children, the gates were closed and we could run around the garden and we were safe. It’s lovely in the summer when everything is green, but equally in the winter when it’s covered in frost.”

While the family is nostalgic, with the children grown and now doing their own thing, the property is too big for their needs. “It makes sense to sell it now,” she says.

“We all have fabulous memories of living there, which we’ll take with us.”

Savills seeks €1m.