Former frontman of seminal UK ’80s band The Smiths, Morrissey had bought the gorgeous property, The Manse in Cobh, as a holiday home for his late beloved mother, Elizabeth Anne Dwyer in 2002. It has come to light that he has sold the property as reported by Irish Examiner.
An Irish woman born in Dublin, Elizabeth emigrated to the UK in the 1950s with her husband Peter Morrissey and gave birth to the Mancunian crooner in 1959. His close relationship with his mum has been well documented over the years and in a message posted on MorrisseyCentral following her death in August 2020, she is described as his “best friend”.
Prior to her passing, he called on friends in “Chile, Mexico, Italy, Peru, Brazil, the US, Ecuador, Israel and Ireland” to offer prayers for her recovery. As the location of her holiday home, Ireland was clearly close to his mother’s heart.
It has been noted that the property was close to Morrissey’s as well. He acknowledged in his song, ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’. The Manse is just below the elbow, tucked into a hollow above High Road, barely visible, inside high gates and screened by mature trees. It’s the height of High Road privacy.
It was altered over the years and the owner prior to Morrissey made a number of substantial changes. This included the addition of two striking sunrooms either side of the gabled central bay, with Gothic-style windows and French doors to the split-level, south-facing, harbour-embracing garden, where giant cruise liners glide by from April to September.
That owner also added a sizeable extension to the rear which included a fine dining room with graceful floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors to a generous patio, with a small kitchen to the rear and overhead, the caretaker’s quarters, with ensuite bedroom and kitchenette.
This upstairs section of the house can be accessed separately, via an external metal staircase, which could also be a convenient fire escape, if ever the need arose. It could also suit someone with plans to run a business from home. Inside the original house, two generous reception rooms are interlinked. One is dominated by a beautiful bay window, facing west, with harbour views and a door to the heavily glazed west sunroom. The other reception room faces the water too and has a door to the east sunroom.
Both reception rooms have impressive marble fireplaces, a ceiling rose and cornicing. A third, smaller room off the back hallway could work as an office or playroom. The entrance hall has elaborate cornicing and a large recess that shouts “cloakroom”.
The fact that the 2,500 sq ft house needs upgrading is reflected in the guide price. Selling agents Gillian McDonnell and Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald have set it at €575,000 which seems good for a period home on 0.6 acres of expertly tended gardens, with a feature pond and very large patio, rich in primroses, ferns and contrasting tree species and a leafy pathway that leads to a right-of-way down to the High Road and into Cobh town.
