The son of Euromillions winner, Dolores McNamara is finally moving to set up home on the luxury lake-side estate of Tinarana in east Clare.
The move by Gary McNamara and Michelle McNamara comes 11 years after the McMcNamara family splurged a reported €3.46m for the 19th century 16 bedroom home, Tinarana House and the adjoining 270 acres overlooking Lough Derg.
The McNamara family paid out €1.46m for Tinarana House and an additional €2m for the surrounding lands where Gary has since built up a beef herd of 100 animals.
READ MORE: Heartbreak for famous EuroMillions winner Dolores McNamara as husband passes away
The estate purchase took place seven years after Gary’s mother, Dolores won a then record €115m EuroMillions jackpot in August 2005.
New planning documentation lodged with Clare Co Council show that the McNamara couple have ruled out using lakeside mansion, Tinarana House as a family home despite the 2012 outlay.
The McNamara couple have instead lodged plans for 'Stable Lodge' where they plan to renovate an existing house along with converting stable buildings and adding an extension for a family home on Tinarana Estate.
A five page ‘Design Statement’ reveals that a pre-planning meeting for the new application, the Council’s Senior Executive Planner and Conservation Officer asked why the McNamaras did not propose to live in Tinarana House as a first option.
The statement records that this was initially considered by the McNamaras “but ultimately proved impractical as the building is just too big to operate as a normal family home”.
Instead, the McNamaras believe that a more appropriate use could be proposed for Tinarana House, such as a small boutique hotel “which could restore public access to what is a place of great natural beauty”.
It points out that “the initial priority for the Applicant is to move onto the Estate to assist with its overall restoration”.
The statement outlined the difficulties faced by the McNamaras since the Tinarana purchase from developers in 2012.
The statement says that prior to the purchase the estate “had fallen into considerable disrepair. Long standing neglect had left both the land and the building fabric in a very dilapidated condition”.
It states that Gary McNamara took over the farm in 2013 and has gradually brought the farm back into use with a current beef herd of 100 animals.
It states that Mr McNamara “is now heavily involved in the running of the farm/estate and wishes to reside on site”.
The statement says that “this is both for practical purposes in terms of the number of hours spent working on the farm, particularly in terms of early morning and late evening, and for the added security that would result”.
The statement records that Tinarana House was burgled in 2013 “and significant damage was caused”.
It records that “the culprit, who was subsequently prosecuted, vandalised the property over a number of days between August 17 and September 14 and the applicant has had to undertake significant repairs to the building fabric to keep what is a protected structure watertight”.
Ennis Circuit Court heard in 2016 that Mr McNamara was left nursing a €128,778 bill after thieves ‘gutted’ his east Clare lakeside mansion of all its antique chandeliers, light fittings, brass items and copper piping.
The design statement submitted by Limerick architects, Arnold Leahy states that “the overriding aim of these proposals is to continue with the restoration and preservation of the stable buildings whilst creating a more functional use that will sustain them into the future”.
The statement contends: “There are significant overall planning gains both in the restoration of the built fabric and the proposed site works.”
Clare County Council is due to make a decision on the application at the end of next month.
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