One of the most interesting pieces of real estate in Co Carlow is now on the market at a rather fetching €700,000. Ballinabranna House, an elegant period residence, has come on the market along with 8.9 acres of zoned land just outside the village of Ballinabrana.

The house, which has seven bedrooms and is surrounded by an acre of lush, mature gardens, was constructed in the mid-1800s and has been the home of the Hughes family through several generations.

In the 1950s, Noel Hughes and his wife Nancy farmed the land for almost 50 years and at one time had 15 employees labouring on the land. After Noel's retirement his son, Edward, and wife, Betty, the present owners, took over the duties but with the onset of mechanisation and the changes visited upon farming in rural areas, the need for workers became almost non-existent and the number of employees fell from 15 to just two by the 1980s.

A well-known and respected family in the Ballinbranna area, the Hughes were involved in all aspects of village life, The land on which the present school is built was supplied free of charge by the family and the grounds for the Ballinabranna GAA club were made available for purchase by th Hugheses aswell.

Inside the beautiful house there is a study and cloakroom and a delightful drawing room of extensive proportions with an ornate white marble chimney piece. Pine floors move you through the interior of the dining room, living room and spacious kitchen featuring an oil-fired Aga.

Outside there is an inner courtyard with a group of storage sheds, two garages and a capable barn. Beyond here there is an outer farmyard which contains a fine granite shed and a four-span hayshed with a lean-to.