“I’m sorry, I can’t even offer you a cup of tea,” says Majella O’Donnell apologetically when I arrive at the penthouse apartment in Ballinteer owned by her and her husband, the singer Daniel O’Donnell. Majella has just arrived back from Washington, DC, where she and Daniel were on a short break: her suitcases are in the hall, and she is fighting off jet lag, so we’ll forgive her this time.
Number 77 Ballintyre Grove in Ballinteer, Dublin 16, is the couple’s Dublin bolthole, and this bolthole certainly has all the bells and whistles. The fourth-floor penthouse extends to 249sq m and its elevated position gives it a commanding view over the city.
Number 77 is one of just two penthouse apartments in this block near the M50 motorway and a short walk from Marlay Park and Dundrum Town Centre. The floor is securely accessed via a private key in the lift, and as soon as you step into the large entrance hall, you’re in a world of style and elegance that comes from 40 years of musical success, selling more than 10 million records and having a different album in the British charts every year for 25 consecutive years.
As soon as you step into the large entrance hall, you’re in a world of style and elegance that comes from 40 years of musical success The spacious entrance hall has a featured mirrored wall to add to the sense of light and space, and there’s a guest toilet. The livingroom alone is the size of a small house, stretching to 70sq m, with a private, dual-aspect balcony and stunning views. The triple-glazed windows are dormered, adding a nice, angular aspect to the room, and a grand piano stands proudly in one corner, taking up hardly any space.