Meet the men who have lived in three different homes on the same Stoneybatter street

Address: Stoneybatter, Dublin 7

Asking price: €595,000

Agent: RE/Max Karl McCaughey (01) 902 0777

Derek Crummy and Pat McGrath could hold a legitimate claim to the title of ‘high kings’ of Árd Rígh Road. The pair have owned no fewer than three properties on the same Stoneybatter street over nearly four decades.

In 1989, they bought No38 for a paltry IR£18,500. Since then, they have bought No41 and No24, which is their current home.

But in the late 1980s they were young pioneers in a neighbourhood which was yet to become one of the city’s trendiest in the 1990s and beyond.

“All of the old shops were still here,” says Crummy. “Old-style grocery shops where they would cut the ham for you. It was amazing. There were three or four butchers. It has changed so much since then. There was nobody queueing for breakfast outside trendy bakeries in those days.

“When we bought No38, it was just a shell. It needed total renovation. We put an extension on it and re-wired and so on, and we ended up with a mortgage of IR£30,000, which seems like nothing by today’s standards.”

They later bought and renovated No41, just down the street and kept it as an investment property until 2013 when they sold both and bought No24 for €235,000, where they have been living ever since. And while all of these have been good financial investments, Crummy and McGrath reckon their real stock was acquired in a community that embraced the Sligo and the Tipperary ‘blow-ins’ as two of its own.

“We are very pally with most of the seniors on the road and we have made lifelong friends, who we will continue to see. We are in and out of each other’s houses all the time, like family,” says Crummy.

“We knew the owner of No24, Jim Hannon, and his daughters very well,” Crummy says. “And then Jim passed on.”

The two ended up buying their late neighbour’s property. McGrath (72) is retired from the pub trade, where he was part owner of The Valance and McGrath hostelry on North Wall, while Crummy (62) is semi-retired but still works in financial services.

From the outside, No24 presents as a yellow-brick two-up, two-down — typical of the neighbourhood. Inside, it is modern with a distinct nod to the heritage of these late 19th-century homes.

It has an entrance hall leading to a living room (or third bedroom) and the main living area, which leads to the kitchen and then the bright living/ dining area. There is a shower room and a concealed utility off this.

It has high ceilings and rooflights. On the first floor, there are two double bedrooms and access to the roof at the rear for a total of approximately 1,000sq ft of living accommodation.

“The eclectic mix of décor is a nod to these houses which are over 150 years old at this stage. Things like the mantelpiece and the old cabinet,” Crummy says. “But then we have an Ikea kitchen, and you can’t really get more modern than that.”

The late Jim Hannon’s piano still takes pride of place in the dining room. “It survived the renovation, says Crummy.

“We had it fixed up and we love it. There was an extension but it was badly built and there was very little light coming in.” So they had this replaced with today’s modern version.

At this end of the scale are the floating ‘stairs’, a feature McGrath say can be a little unnerving when people see it at first and wonder if it might be a precarious climb.

“There is a steel girder set into the wall and the steel steps are welded to it and have a sleeve of walnut on them.

“They are not going anywhere and we have been up and down these stairs in every shape and form. They have always felt very safe.

They also added insulation under the floors ceilings and on the walls. They put external insulation on the back walls and underfloor heating in the kitchen and bathroom, achieving a B3 BER rating in the process.

“Upstairs, we decided to get rid of the attic and as a result we have these lovely, high ceilings and we put in lots of storage space. We have three bedrooms,” Crummy says.

“I use one of them as an office. Having the three rooms would give a professional couple lots of flexibility, or of course you could rent out a room. We often have nieces and nephews staying.”

Crummy and McGrath are moving to Tipperary, where they spent a lot of time during the pandemic. Though they’re taking the beloved piano with them, Crummy says many of the items will be negotiable for any potential new owner.

“We have been in touch with the Hannons to let them know we are selling the house and they are going to come around to spend some time here before we go, because they all grew up here.”

Unlike many similar houses in the area, the properties on this side of Árd Rígh Road back on to Arbour Hill cemetery and are therefore not overlooked. They also tend to have larger back garden spaces than most in the area. No28 has a shed and there’s plenty of space for entertaining.

While they may be leaving Árd Rígh Road behind, Crummy and McGrath won’t be abdicating the emotions they feel toward the place.

“We have been living and working in Stoneybatter for 30-something years now,” Crummy says.

“We’ll miss our friends and neighbours, but hopefully we will be having lots of them down to Tipperary.”

No24 is for sale through RE/Max Karl McCaughey, with an asking price of €595,000.