U2 bassist Adam Clayton has applied for planning permission to build a sprawling, 795-square-meter retirement home in Ringfinnan, east of Kinsale, County Cork. The proposed modern development sits on the opposite side of the Bandon River from Kinsale town, adding another high-profile name to the West Cork coastal enclave’s growing community of celebrity residents.
Planning Application Details for the Ringfinnan Site
Planning files submitted for Clayton’s project indicate that the musician selected the plot after recognizing its potential as an ideal location for a retirement residence. The site is situated near the Kinsale Garden of Remembrance for 9/11, which honors the victims of the 2001 New York terrorist attacks. Clayton’s architectural brief, prepared by Rundell Associates, outlines a modern, sustainable family home featuring step-free access across main living areas and the principal bedroom to establish a long-term residence. The design proposes a seven-bedroom structure divided into a north and south wing, styled to evoke local farmsteads and courtyard typologies to minimize visual impact. Plans include a three-floor layout replacing a ruined homestead, complete with an underground car park, a gym, a health spa, a games room, and multiple dining spaces. Outdoor designs feature a walled garden, water features, paved terraces, and landscaping utilizing local dry stone walling, timber cladding, slate pitched roofs, and green sedum flat roofs. Infrastructure additions include 50 ground-mounted photovoltaic panels, five micro wind turbines, and a new wastewater treatment system. A decision on the application is due on October 21.
Property Context and Local Celebrity Real Estate
Clayton’s move toward the Kinsale area follows prior property pursuits, including an underbidder status for Annefield House at Ballinclashet Creek in Oysterhaven during 2023, which ultimately sold to a US buyer for €2.775m. The Ringfinnan property shares similar privacy and river-access traits with those prior searches, alongside a family connection through a sibling who also holds a property interest in the region. Kinsale has increasingly attracted high-net-worth individuals and artists. Recent transactions in the area include the heir to the Berwind Corporation entering a sale-agreed status for upwards of €6m-plus for Prospect Villa, a restored Victorian home in Scilly. In 2023, Nike heir Travis Knight purchased Ocean Breeze in Scilly for €4.5m, and US singer-songwriter Tori Amos previously owned Ballywilliam House upriver for 25 years before selling it in 2019 for €1.19m. Singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy also purchased a home on the eastern side of Kinsale for €2.25m.
Details of the planned residence in Ringfinnan
- The planned residence is sited in Ringfinnan, east of Kinsale town, on the opposite side of the Bandon River in County Cork.
- The design encompasses a 795-square-meter, seven-bedroom structure spread across three floors, featuring an underground car park, a health spa, a gym, and sustainable energy installations including solar panels and micro wind turbines.
- A decision on the planning application is due on October 21.
- Other notable property owners and recent buyers in the Kinsale area include singer Dermot Kennedy, Nike heir Travis Knight, and the heir to the Berwind Corporation, alongside former resident Tori Amos.
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