Address: 129 St Columbanus Road, Dundum, Dublin 14
Price: €675,000
Agent: Mullery O’Gara
Hailed as the first European, with his vision for a “Europe of the nations” where a platform could be shared for peace and prosperity, St Columbanus shared cultural influences across what was then a broken Europe in the 7th century. The radical visionary who would become the inspiration for what we know today as the European Union is remembered by a legacy of miracles, including taming a bear, giving sight to a blind man and destroying with his breath a cauldron of beer prepared for a pagan festival.
His name is given to St Columbanus Road in Dundrum and the wider St Columbanus estate, where these former Corporation houses, dating from the 1940s and 1950s, are known for their solid construction and great location.
Many of these houses have been renovated and extended and have in recent years seen prices soar. Number 185, a semidetached 125sq m four-bed – in need of renovation as its Ber was E1 – achieved €751,000 in 2025 against an asking price of €675,000.
One of the main selling points of these sturdy houses is the location, which is on the doorstep of schools, a Luas stop (at Windy Arbour) and a short walk to Dundrum Town Centre.
But over the years there has been ambiguity over the actual address of the road. Historically known as Greater Rathmines and later Milltown, due to the fact it lies on the D14 side of the river Dodder, it is also referred to as being in Dundrum. Throwing a further spanner in the works is the fact that Our Lady’s National School – also on the road – lists its address as Clonskeagh, while the Luas stop at Windy Arbour is just a few minutes’ walk away; however, most entries on the Property Price Register (PPR) describe it as Dundrum. Despite this ambiguity, it benefits from proximity to services in Milltown, Dundrum, Rathmines and Ranelagh.
Number 129 has just launched to the market through Mullery O’Gara and is a prime example of what can be achieved in upgrading these former council houses.
Listed on the PPR as having last sold in 2015 for the sum of €140,000, this figure represents an interfamilial transfer. Current owners describe it as then requiring a full renovation, as it a had a low Ber. Engaging architect Michael Kelly, the brief was to increase energy performance, include an extra bathroom and have open-plan living downstairs.
This has been achieved superbly by the clever design to invert the staircase. Instead of rising just inside the front door, it now ascends in the opposite direction from the dining space. In doing this, it allowed for a utility room (in the now front hallway) and gave a wider footprint to the dining space as the former corridor was removed.
Locating the kitchen to the front from its original galley-style setting to the rear gave the space for an extension overlooking the garden. Here the west-facing aspect, installation of a huge frameless roof light and large patio doors bounce light through the space – which is reflected on the all-white interiors and mirrored area in the diningroom.
The house has a Kube kitchen 
Dining space 
Open-plan layout with the new staircase 
New extension 
Light-filled stairwell 
One of two double bedrooms 
Zinc- and cedar-clad extension 
Rear garden with home office
Upstairs, the addition of a small extension gave two decent double bedrooms and a second bathroom, and light here was addressed with the inclusion of a second roof light flooding the stairwell.
[ Average value of second-hand homes rises by almost 7%Opens in new window ]
Outside, the rear garden – which gets evening sun – has a dining space, lawn and shrubs all neatly framed by wooden fencing. Beyond is a smart home office, behind which is a storage shed.
With triple-glazed windows and lots of insulation, the 84sq m (904sq ft) property now has a much-improved Ber rating of B2. Owners are upsizing with a growing family and have placed their home – close to several leisure activities such as walks along the river Dodder and Darty Park – on the market seeking €675,000.