Historic Cork home Robinscourt hits market with €1.85m guide and could break €2m barrier
Certain Cork locations are reliable benchmarks for high property prices.Think Kinsale, with 88 recorded €1m-plus sales; Blackrock, with 59 sales above €1m; followed by Douglas, at 57.The Model Farm Road has also recorded a notable 32 €1m-plus sales, including properties along and just off the route, or those with a Bishopstown address. This is where the ‘des res’ Robinscourt has been tucked away for the best part of a century — yet in 2026, it looks and feels remarkably contemporary.Admittedly, the €1m-plus sales at the ‘banker’ locations include properties that had development potential, and, in some cases, sales of blocks of units, typically apartments. Change the search parameters to sales of €2m properties in the same locations and the air narrows: Kinsale shows 18 sales of over €2m, Douglas 16, Blackrock seven, and just two on or off the Model Farm Road, where both of the latter were sold for development of their grounds.Might Robinscourt be the first private home on the Model Farm Road to breach the €2m mark?It’s a fair bet that it will, and, entirely by coincidence, there may well be a second, prominently-set listing of a newer home, further in the western suburbs, sure to pique interest, when or if it comes to market.Robinscourt, listed with a €1.85m guide price through estate agent Michael McKenna, extends to 3,640 sq ft on a generous half-acre of landscaped grounds.The house was originally built by the Barrett family, who owned extensive lands around the Model Farm Road in the early 1900s.It was later owned by a University College Cork medical/academic family, the O’Mahonys, and was last on the market in the 1980s, when it was bought by Jim and Jean Keating. They moved across the city from Douglas, rearing a family of five.Around the same time, parts of the original grounds were sold for detached houses, all accessed via a shared entrance, with individual gated access from the city end of the Model Farm Road.The late Jim Keating (who died in 2021) was well known in Cork, having worked with Cross’s garage on Fr Mathew Street before co-founding Cross Refrigeration, now the Cross Group, a major operator in the commercial refrigeration sector with Irish and UK operations.The Keating family significantly extended and reconfigured the home in the 1990s, temporarily moving out during the works, which were overseen by Wilson Architects.They added east and west wings, a new entrance lobby, and a south-facing sunroom connected to the main family room.A look at the roof readily shows what the original size and shape was, versus what’s here now, post redesign and extension.The newer, Wilson-designed additions are notable for the selection of tiles, whether robust red clay ones with distinctive ‘bonnet’ ridge tiles in the newer sections, or with glazing touches, such as unusual apexes above the sun room with its gorgeous garden views, porch, and side room.According to daughter Gillian, the design brief focused on creating long sightlines — from the entrance foyer through multiple glazed doors to the far end of the house, spanning approximately 55 to 60 feet. A similar approach links the kitchen through to the sunroom and front garden — the latter a particular passion of Jean Keating, who died last year.There’s a good half an acre here, planted over decades with mature trees all around the perimeter for complete privacy, with an array of flowering shrubs, seasonal beds, mown lawns fore and aft, old cobble steps, brick paved sit-out areas, and cars kept out of sight to the rear on a large apron, with a lofty double garage/car port with storage.Inside, the property extends to approximately 370 sq m (just over 3,600 sq ft), with bright, well-maintained interiors. The décor is neutral and consistent, with high ceilings, coving, and fireplaces complemented by modern upgrades and services.The glazing design — both internal and external — creates a cohesive aesthetic, enhanced by deep roof overhangs.Accommodation includes four reception rooms, three with a south-facing aspect and two with direct garden access. There is a living room with a marble fireplace; a family room linking to the sunroom; a gable-end sitting room with a circular window seat; and a flexible office or den.The kitchen features country-style shaker units, white granite worktops, and a Stanley range.Additional ground-floor spaces include a utility room, guest WC, and plant room.The first floor now holds four bedrooms, one per corner of the original house’s outline, with a west-wing, two-storey extension (clad externally in black tile) allowing each of the two on this side of the home to have walk-in robes/closet with en suites.The other two bedrooms also are en suite and, again, finished in a style not likely to date.Then, there’s a narrow, almost secret, enclosed staircase up to an attic, with pitched roof for good headroom in the middle, and masses of space for storage; it could also be used as a play room, ready for a bright boost if a few Veluxes were to be fitted.The property has a BER rating of D1, reflecting its age and scale. While upgrades may be considered, the home is presented in strong condition throughout.Robinscourt has accommodated a large family, including visits from 13 grandchildren, yet remains in excellent order — a turnkey property at the upper end of the market.In terms of location, it sits close to other high-value Model Farm Road properties, including Merton and Vailima, where new builds have achieved up to €1.3m.Recent top prices in the wider area include €1.72m for Merton Lodge and €1.68m for Small Acre (both 2023), while €1.57m was paid for Tanglewood in 2011.Closest physically to Robinscourt is Clifden, a 1985-built, 2,600 sq ft dormer directly in front of Robinscourt, sharing the same access drive and bounding the Model Farm Rd.Nearby Clifden, a 2,600 sq ft dormer built in 1985 and sharing the same access road, sold in 2025 for €1.375m after 17 viewings, many from medical professionals due to proximity to Cork University Hospital, the Bon Secours, and the Mercy Hospital.The property also benefits from close access to UCC, Munster Technological University, schools, shops, and public transport.
VERDICT: Robinscourt ticks so many boxes for buyers at the upper end of Cork City’s housing market and “offers an outstanding opportunity to acquire a forever home in one of Cork’s most prestigious neighbourhoods”, says Mr McKenna. Little wonder it has only ever had three sets of owners to date, over almost a century. A fiver says it should easily top €2m.
