Buy a slice of local and Hollywood history – for €2m

An 18th Century house in Oranmore steeped in a colourful history – including as a location for a blockbuster Cold War thriller – has come on the market for an even cooler €2 million.

However, Ardfry House – which is set on just under 29 acres, and includes the remains of a ninth century moated castle – is something of a ‘fixer-upper’ in that it is in ruins and requires extensive restoration.

It was built around 1770 and was home to Joseph Blake, who later inherited the title ‘Lord Wallscourt’.

However, it later fell into ruin after the lead was stripped from the roof to pay his wife’s serious gambling debts. The property was left empty and the contents were stolen, including a grand dining hall table which is believed to be in the Middle East.

One of its owners was also known to walk around the house naked, using a cowbell to warn the maids of his approach.

The drama didn’t end there – it had new windows and a new roof installed in 1972 for the making of John Huston’s spy thriller ‘The Mackintosh Man’ starring Paul Newman.

As part of filming, Newman’s character, British intelligence agent Joseph Rearden, burns down the house.

The lands – on a peninsula overlooking Galway Bay – also include a variety of stone cottages and outbuildings.

It goes under the hammer on April 21 at an Allsop Space auction in Dublin with a reserve price of between €1.8 and €2m.