A house in Dublin, once occupied by the late Luke Kelly and his wife Deirdre O'Connell, is up for sale.
The property, which is located at 1 Hanover Street, Dublin 8, was where the Dubliners star and O'Connell spent the early part of their tumultuous marriage together, with the asking price of €395,000 by agent Sherry Fitzgerald.
The house was renovated by its current owners, having been a meditation centre to begin with. The couple had planned on emigrating, before the Covid pandemic intervened, leading them to living between Airbnbs and staying with family.
Such investments included a new roof, replacement plumbing and having it rewired. They also opened up a covered yard, and installed glass doors out too. A new kitchen was also installed, as well as a combi boiler and underfloor heating at ground level.
As mentioned the house was once owned by Irish ballad music star Luke Kelly and his wife, Deirdre O'Connell, a Bronx born actress and singer.
It was only after they acquired and moved into the property that the couple realised the Kelly/O'Connell connection, with one half of the couple also being involved in theatre and playing the banjo. Upon realising this connection, they said it "made it feel like fate".
The house located near Francis Street in Dublin's Liberties, which is known for its art galleries, cafes, and antique shops. It is also located near St Patrick's Park, St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, with the Green and Red Luas within walking distance.
As for the property, it measures 840 sq, and includes a kitchen with access to the courtyard, entrance hall, living room with loft storage and a bathroom. It also has a utility room which doubles as a guest WC and two bedrooms, one of which is being used as a studio.
The living room has an exposed brick wall, all its original timber flooring, three windows with working shutters. The loft can be reached via a ladder.
The could married in 1965, before divorcing in 1972, with O'Connell continuing to work with the Focus Theatre in Dublin, renowned for huge productions which featured names like Bosco Hogan and Gabriel Byrne.
Kelly continued to tour with The Dubliners, before dying of a brain tumour in 1984 aged 44, which hit O'Connell hard. She passed away suddenly in 2001. She was 61 years old.
Former President Michael D Higgins once called O'Connell “the single greatest influence on Irish theatre since the 1960s".
