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Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘As a student, I lived in a tower' – €3.4m home in Killiney includes a spectacular folly in the garden
Asking price: €3.4m Agent: Sherry FitzGerald (01) 2751000 Academia may be associated with ivory towers, but when Kim McClenaghan attended UCD in the 1990s he happened to live in his own cut granite version with spectacular views overlooking Killiney Bay. What's more, it was right beside his parents' house, and its all-important washing machine and fridge. You could do a lot worse, as student accommodation goes. McClenaghan was about seven in 1980 when his family returned form a stint living in Africa and bought Druid Lodge, a six-bed villa on over an acre on Killiney Hill Road on the south-east coast of Dublin. The house came with, among other things, a huge castellated folly tower in the garden – which must have been built at great expense by its 19th-century owners. According to the records, this likely was one William O'Hara. The home takes its name from a stone 'Druid's Chair', a megalithic cromlech which was documented near the site during O'Hara's time in residence. And while the garden tower would make a magical addition to any kid's playground, it made for an even better student pad. 'I think I probably had the best views in Killiney when I was in college,' says McClenaghan. 'The sitting room is nearly at the top, and it has the bedroom halfway up and a kind of study area. I could play my music there and there was a little path leading straight down to the main gate, so I could get in and out quietly.' Druid Lodge dates back to the early 1800s on the site of an 18th-century residence and is set off the road on its 1.2 acres, behind granite-pillared gates. The version we see today was built in the 1830s and extended substantially in the 1860s, with two front 'wings' added to take advantage of the views. While known as a 'spite tower', the 1850 vintage garden landmark was not built, as popular legend suggests, to mess up a neighbour's sea view. Historian Peter Pearson wrote that the Victorian owners of Druid Lodge simply wanted a better sea view for themselves. McClenaghan reckons his parents bought the property when people were not that interested in period houses. 'Whereas my father always had an appreciation of the historical context of things.' This 'appreciation' is evident in the interior, where, for example, the ornate interior door frames have been carefully stripped back. Other than the addition of a conservatory in the 1990s, the McClenaghans made no alteration to the property in over four-and-a-half decades there. The Virginia creeper-clad double-fronted facade has a central porch bay with the front door tucked discreetly to one side, but when you go inside there's nothing discreet about the grand entrance hall, which has a spectacular staircase and 4.2-metre ceilings. Either side of this are the two main reception rooms, one a formal dining room and the other, a drawing room. Both of these have the same 4.2m ceilings, intricate plasterwork and marble fireplaces. There is a 'butler's pantry' off the dining room, and the drawing room is connected to the conservatory. To the rear of the downstairs hallway, there is a living room and a country-style kitchen, a sunroom and two store rooms. The two main bedrooms are accessed via the grand staircase to the front of the house. Both of these have open fireplaces and views out over the bay, as well as en suite bathrooms accessed via a short flight of steps. To the rear, there's a stairs to the second floor where four further bedrooms are located, along with two bathrooms, and at the garden, or basement level, there is a separate, two-bedroom apartment, with a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen and a study. McClenaghan remembers Druid Lodge as a place of adventures for himself and five siblings. His father built a large treehouse, which provided for summer sleep-outs, while the location allowed the kids easy and safe access to the sea. 'There's a private road nearby that takes you to the beach in five minutes and then if you walk up Vico a little bit, there's a back entrance into the park.' When the family first lived here, the garden was very overgrown, he remembers: 'My dad let someone graze horses on it to cut the grass down and discovered a lawn tennis court under all the vegetation.' Despite the views provided by Druid Lodge's elevated position, McClenaghan says the house is actually quite sheltered. 'It is protected from the westerly winds the way it sits, it's east side to the sea. To our disgust as kids – we never got snow. The moderating influence of the sea seems to give it a milder microclimate.' One past resident who would have appreciated that microclimate was republican, newspaper founder and Young Irelander revolutionary John Blake Dillon. Dillon settled here at Druid Lodge after he returned from exile in America, to which he had fled following the ill-fated rebellion of 1848. His marriage to Adelaide Hart, whose family owned Druid Lodge, proved more successful than his revolutionary ambitions. Later he became an MP for Parnell's Home Rule party. 'I associate all the happiest memories of my life with Druid Lodge', Dillon later wrote in his memoirs. The property was more recently home in the 1920s to Walter Phillips, an accountant credited with 'mechanising' the finances of the Guinness Brewery. And now it's for sale along with its grand tower. Sherry FitzGerald seek €3.4m.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ireland's universities among most improved in the world as Trinity retains top place in country's rankings
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) retained its place as Ireland's top institution in the QS World University Rankings for 2026, improving its overall ranking from 87th last year to 75th. University College Dublin (UCD) was ranked 118th, up from 126th a year ago, followed by University College Cork (UCC), up to 246th from 273rd, and the University of Galway, which fell to 284th from 273rd. The University of Limerick, Dublin City University (DCU), the University of Maynooth and the Technological University of Dublin (TUD) made up the rest of the eight Irish universities included in the rankings. Seven of the eight improved on their ranking from a year ago, making Ireland the most-improved country in Europe and the second-most improved in the world, trailing Azerbaijan. This edition of the QS rankings also marks the first time every ranked Irish university has been included in the world's top 800. Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless said third-level institutions 'play a vital role in delivering education and research' in Ireland. 'This work has been and continues to be pivotal to the success of our country as a knowledge-driven economy,' he said. Their achievements reflect the strength of our higher education system 'I congratulate the institutions that have improved their standing in this year's QS university rankings. 'Their achievements reflect the strength of our higher education system and reinforce Ireland's global reputation for academic excellence and cutting-edge research. 'This progress also reflects the significant investment this Government has made in higher education in recent years, supporting our ambition to build a world-class, innovative and inclusive system that delivers for all.' TCD ranked in the top 100 globally in three indicators: academic reputation, international faculty and graduate outcomes. UCD landed in the top 100 for graduate outcomes and in the top 50 for sustainability, where it was ranked 49th. After rising into the global top 250, UCC also improved in academic reputation, employer reputation and citations per faculty. The University of Oxford was in fourth place, down from third At the top of the rankings, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the number one spot it has held since 2012. In second place was Imperial College London, the same spot it earned last year. The University of Oxford was in fourth place, down from third, and Harvard University was in fifth, down from fourth. QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said: 'Ireland's outstanding results in the 2026 QS World University Rankings are testament to the dedication of academics, administrators and students across the eight universities from the country included in the ranking. 'The Government has been clear in its ambitions to make Ireland a first-choice destination for international learners in its Global Citizens 2030 Talent and Innovation Strategy and, with every university improving in the international student indicator, the country's campuses are increasingly open and diverse.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Science
- Irish Independent
Irish researcher joins €1.7bn hunt for Einstein's ‘ripples in space-time'
This work is part of the European Space Agency's €1.74bn Lisa (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission to deploy the first gravitational wave detector in space to detect the ripples. Gravitational waves have opened up a new way of observing the universe, according to said Barry Wardell, associate professor of mathematics and statistics at UCD. Prof Wardell has been awarded a €2.5m Advanced European Research Council Grant to study gravitational waves within the Lisa mission. Until recently, scientists' understanding of the universe came mostly from light – in its visible, radio or X-ray forms. The problem with relying on this, according to Prof Wardell, is that light cannot access all regions of space, especially near black holes, or the moments right after the Big Bang. 'Gravitational waves, by contrast, travel virtually untouched across the cosmos, carrying information about the most extreme, energetic events in existence,' he said. 'This lets us peer into environments we could never reach with telescopes alone.' By operating in space, the Lisa detector will be far away from all possible interfering 'noise' on Earth. 'We will be able to 'hear' signals from some of the most extreme events in the cosmos, including black holes the size of our Sun spiralling into supermassive black holes millions of times larger,' Prof Wardell said. For almost 100 years, scientists could only assume that gravitational waves existed, without having observed them directly, relying on Einstein's theories. They were first detected in 2015 in a dramatic discovery that led to the three researchers responsible together receiving the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Studying gravitational waves can help scientists answer questions like how galaxies and black holes form and develop over time. Prof Wardell will be working as part of an international network of scientists. 'What was the universe like in its earliest moments, before light could even travel freely?' he said. 'Gravitational waves are like messengers from those inaccessible corners of time and space.' Getting answers is a highly complex challenge that requires the use of advanced mathematics, supercomputers, and AI. 'While Einstein's predictions have held up for over a century, we've never been able to probe them in environments like merging black holes before,' Prof Wardell said. 'Gravitational wave detections could eventually reveal where his theory breaks down, pointing us toward new physics that might unify gravity with quantum mechanics – one of the biggest unsolved problems in science.' Yet how is all this relevant to our earthbound lives? 'Gravitational waves might sound far removed from everyday life,' Prof Wardell said. 'But even for ordinary people, they matter more than it first seems. 'This is a story of curiosity: our drive to understand where we come from, how the universe works, and what fundamental forces shape our reality.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Trinity climbs to 75th in world university rankings
Trinity College Dublin , Ireland's highest-ranked third-level institution, has jumped 12 places to 75th in the latest set of world university rankings, while Ireland is the most improved higher education system in Europe. The QS World University Rankings 2026 show that seven of Ireland's eight universities have climbed up the global league table, boosted by factors such as employer reputation and the rising proportion of international staff and students. For the first time all Irish universities now feature among the world's top 800. While Trinity is the highest ranked, it is followed by UCD (118th, up eight places), UCC (246th, up 27 places), University of Galway (284th, down 11 places), University of Limerick (401st, up 20 places) and Dublin City University (410th, up 11 places). READ MORE In addition Maynooth University has climbed the rankings (771-780th, up from 801-850) along with Technological University Dublin (781-790, up from 851-900). The QS World University Rankings 2026 evaluate more than 1,500 universities across 100 countries and territories. Rank in Ireland 2026 rank 2025 rank Institution 1 75 87 Trinity College Dublin 2 118 =126 University College Dublin 3 246 =273 University College Cork 4 284 =273 University of Galway / Ollscoil na Gaillimhe 5 =401 =421 University of Limerick 6 =410 =421 Dublin City University 7 771-780 801-850 Maynooth University 8 781-790 851-900 Technological University of Dublin Overall, MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, retains its top position for the 14th year, followed by Imperial College London (second) – led by former UCD president Prof Hugh Brady – and Stanford University (third). While there are more than a dozen world university rankings, the QS version is considered by education observers as one of the 'big three', alongside Times Higher Education and Shanghai's Academic Ranking of World Universities. Critics say university rankings are not an accurate measure of performance and neglect key areas such as the quality of teaching and learning. They remain influential internationally, however, in areas such as reputation, research and student choice. The rankings show Trinity College Dublin improved across key indicators used such as academic reputation, international faculty and graduate outcomes. Trinity's provost Dr Linda Doyle said the rankings news 'encourages us to be even bolder in our ambition for Trinity and, indeed, for Ireland – an ambition that should be championed and defended regardless of the rankings'. She said a sustainable funding model for higher education in Ireland was key to helping it thrive. 'While increased core funding helps us to achieve our ambitions on the national and international stage, we need to see an absolute step-change in how universities and research are funded in Ireland.' Universities have welcomed additional core funding in the Budget 2025, but noted that a €307 million funding gap identified by Government in 2022 is still not fully closed. Ben Sowter, senior vice-president at QS, said Ireland's 'outstanding results' showed the country's campuses were increasingly 'open and diverse, which benefits both domestic and international students, as well as employers seeking globally minded talent'. He said Ireland outperformed many European counterparts and global English-speaking student destinations in key areas such as employer reputation, international faculty and sustainability. Every Irish university also improved its international students ratio, reflecting growing international appeal and diversity on Irish campuses. Mr Sowter said general improvements across the board in academic reputation also showed the increased regard in which institutions' research and educational innovativeness is held. 'Improving the ratio of faculty to students, heightening intensity of research undertaken at universities and ensuring graduates are supported to go on to make meaningful impacts on society will help Irish universities keep improving and making positive contributions to both Ireland and the globe,' he said. Globally, the US remains the most represented system, with 192 universities, and sees more institutions rise than fall in this edition. China has continued its ascent with Peking University holding on to its 14th place, while Tsinghua University rose to 17th, and Fudan University climbed nine spots to 30th, signalling a strong research-led push.
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Rob Kearney ‘very excited' to become a father for the second time
His wife Jess Redden announced her pregnancy on social media this week. Former rugby star Rob Kearney has said he is 'very excited' to become a father for the second time. The 39-year-old is expecting another child with his wife Jess Redden. The influencer announced her pregnancy this week, with a sweet Instagram post. 'One more reason to believe in magic, a little more love is on the way,' she captioned a photo, which showed her holding their firstborn Bobby above her growing bump. Appearing on Virgin Media's Ireland AM today, he told reporter Deric Hartigan 'Number two is on the way.' Kearney said that he's been told having two kids, is the same as having one. "It is funny, speaking to so many people and the likes of Tommy [Bowe] as well who have two, they said it's a piece of cake so I don't know what the big deal of having more than one is. "We are 20 weeks so halfway there," he shared. "It's great, we are very excited. Little Bobby is going to be a big brother. "He doesn't know too much of it yet, his world is going to be turned upside down for a few weeks but he will be fine.' Former Irish rugby star Rob Kearney News in 90 Seconds - June 18th The Kearneys welcomed their first son, Bobby in August 2023. The couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Trump Hotel Doonbeg in Co Clare in December 2021. The pair met in 2013 when Redden was studying to become a pharmacist in UCD
