Take a scalpel to €600,000 former GP surgery in Clonakilty and carve out a family home
THE Georgian house no 12 Emmet Square in Clonakilty has been used by doctors as a surgery for decades, but with surgical intervention it could become a comfortable family home once more.Just listed for €600,000, no 12, a mid-terrace, three-storey, three-bay 2,450 sq ft build, is in one of Clonakilty’s most cherished settings: At the centre of a three-sided Georgian Square, dating to the 1795-1810 era, laid out by the Earls of Shannon, who pinned their name to it, as Shannon Square, later renamed in honour of the Irish patriot Robert Emmet.The square is also closely associated with locally-born revolutionary leader and statesman, Michael Collins, with a larger-than life commemorative statue of the ‘Big Fella’ on one corner of Emmet Square, unveiled in 2002 by actor Liam Neeson who played him in the 1996 movie Michael Collins.Actor Liam Neeson after unveiling the statue of Michael Collins at Emmet Square, Clonakilty on the 80th anniversary of the death of the 'Big Fella' Picture: Denis Minihane.There’s also the substantial Michael Collins Museum at the Suare’s book- ending no 7, with a slate-hung gable, a collaboration between Cork County Council and conservation architects JCA, and open since 2016.The square has a mix of three- and four-bay terraced houses of distinction, and with considerable variety in façade treatments.Emmet Square was reinstated to a high level of public appreciation with a new open/green space in 2013, to mark Clonakilty’s 400th anniversary of its borough charter. The View from Above by Dennis Horgan, published by The Collins Press, 2014Then, council architect Giulia Valone oversaw the redesign of the green space, Kennedy Gardens, as well as new central streetscapes, resulting in a 2014 RIAI Irish Architecture Award for place making, followed by ‘Best Place’ RIAI awards in 2017 for Clonakilty itself.Now, the chance to live in the award-garlanded West Cork town, and on the award-winning Square, comes along with the sale offer of no 12 Emmet Square.Although no 12 is in rude good health — with lots of original architectural features, such as old sash windows and shutters —it has been in commercial/medical practice use for possibly half a century, most recently by GP Dr Fiona O’Reilly, and before that, for decades, by Dr Liam O’Brien, with medical rooms on the ground and first floors, with a good-order one-bed apartment on top.12 Emmet Square There’s 1,000 sq ft on the ground floor, thanks to a single-storey rear annex, with rear access, and, not surprisingly, the property is a protected structure.No 12 may continue in commercial use, but it is most likely going to be bought as a private home (subject to change of use approval), says estate agent, Martin Kelleher, who notes the prestige setting, the south-facing rear aspect, with access and car parking via Emmet Court/Emmet Lane, around the corner from the Michael Collins Museum, which is at no 7. The scene at the Friday Market in Emmet Square, Clonakilty, West Cork. Picture: Martin Walsh.The Price Register shows a variety of price swings at Emmet Square, and before the register, Glebe House, in the corner, was a €1m sale offer in the mid-2000s, with its Glebe House Gardens mews development in its one-acre back garden also winning awards at the time.Emmet SquareThe substantial Glebe House last resold in 2023 for €690,000, while the also-sizeable no 18 Emmet Square (which had a ground-floor Airbnb option) featured in these pages in April 2025 with a €695,000 AMV and sold very swiftly for €777,000, having only previously transacted in 2022 to a Canadian couple for €450,000, who subsequently reluctantly returned to Canada for family reasons.
VERDICT: Just what the doctor ordered? Every town amenity is on the doorstep of this Clonakilty Georgian townhouse, including a craft, food, and a farmers’ market on Kennedy Gardens every Friday: Home delivery in a heritage setting?
