Rohan's home is where the art is

Liam Collins

May 18 2003 12:11 AM

FOR a man who made his millions from industrial estates and commercial buildings, Kenneth Charles Rohan knows how to live the life of a landed country squire.

From his Palladian mansion on the outskirts of Dublin, through his multimillion art collection, to the clean lines of his formal gardens, you would have to say he was not only a man of wealth, but someone who has spent it tastefully.

Of course, the property developer and his wife Brenda McManus get a little help from the State. Not only do their home and gardens qualify for tax relief for money spent "on repair, maintenance or restoration", but their unique art collection was responsible for an equally unique tax break for art collectors. When Mr Bertie Ahern was Minister for Finance in 1994, he introduced a measure which meant that Mr Rohan could not be charged benefit-in-kind tax for artworks bought by his company, Rohan Holdings, but displayed in his home. Other businessmen have since availed of this measure, which was made retrospective by 12 years, and meant Mr Rohan did not have to pay a huge tax bill levied on him by Revenue.

Although it is said that this tax concession has saved Mr Rohan ?1.9m in tax at the time and about ?150,000 a year afterwards, the measure was supported by the Irish Georgian Society, the Heritage Council and Bord Failte.

"He [Mr Rohan] feels that the benefit-in-kind assessed by the Revenue Commissioners is at such an intolerable level that no individual will make available their house for such storage and could also deter new purchases and indeed to ensure the disposal of collections," said Revenue official Ms Nuala Turner after a meeting with the developer.

The Appeals Commissioners upheld Mr Rohan's appeal against the tax assessment, but before the Revenue could appeal this decision to the High Court, a law was passed so that he and visitors to his home could enjoy the collection without the owner having to worry unduly about the tax implications.

Charleville, near Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, is built on the site of what once was the biggest house in Ireland. The land was originally owned by Lord Orrery, third son of the Great Earl of Cork, and Rohan, one of seven children from Midleton, Co Cork, bought it when he made his first few millions.

In many ways, the house has lived in the shadow of Powerscourt, which you can see in the distance as you drive up the long avenue to Charleville. When Powerscourt burned down in 1974 Ken Rohan bought paintings, furniture, chandeliers and a set of wonderful gilt pelmets at the subsequent fire sale.

AS OUR banger crunches to a halt on the gravel in front of the house, a herd of drowsy cattle graze in the front meadow. A startled deer takes off into the trees and a couple of surly donkeys watch suspiciously. Walking up the stone steps and into the grand hallway, one can only wonder at how the other half lives.

Ken Rohan worked as a croupier in a London gambling club before getting a job in the stock exchange. In the Sixties, he came back to Ireland and teamed up with his brother to begin a career as a property developer that has been both highly controversial and lucrative.

The original hallway of Charleville was paved with Portland stone until Viscount Monck believed that he was going to be honoured by a visit from George IV, who was staying across the fields in Powerscourt. So he ripped up the centre of the floor and replaced it with Irish oak. Alas, as often happens, the king tarried with his mistress, Lady Conyngham of Slane, and never made it to Charleville.

But his portrait, that of his mistress and many others from that happy party hang in the back hallway of Charleville, just above the stairs. In another painting, the king is seen landing at Howth, Co Dublin, wrapped in a fur coat.

The Rohans started off their painting collection with two three-dimensional grisaille paintings of cherubs. They were the first to be hung in the hallway, and set the tone for the colour scheme and all the other portraits, including a couple of austere paintings of Lord and Lady Athlone.

The drawing room, which is railed off so the visitor cannot walk around, is dominated by a large painting of a family with an Indian maid. There are books on art and great houses, a photograph of Mr Rohan and his wife, who is a former model, and one of him drinking a glass of champagne - presumably after sealing another major property deal.

In the music room, there is a nice Sir John Lavery painting of Lady Powerscourt and several scenes of the Wicklow countryside by George Barrett (one of whose paintings sold for stg£363,650 at Christie's last Thursday), all of which came from across the fields. On the way out is a Landseer and a lovely scene of the Allen mausoleum in Stillorgan.

In the dining room, where property magnates and prominent Fianna Fail "movers and shakers" have been entertained, the magnificent chandelier is lit by candles. The room is dominated by a portrait of Lord Inchiquin (he was governor of Tangiers), painted in native garb.

A wonderful bird's-eye view of Stradbally Hall in Co Laois and the surrounding countryside hangs on one wall, and a portrait of Lord Belvedere, who locked up his wife for 31 years after she had a child by his brother, hangs in another corner.

Mr Rohan has been identified as a contributor to Fianna Fail and was at one time a member of the board of the National Gallery of Ireland. Many of his paintings are of such quality that they could easily qualify for inclusion in the national collection.

At the back of the house are courtyards where the previous owner, Donald Davies, made his world-famous shirt dresses.

The gardens themselves are set out very formally, with long yew walks and dark avenues of overhanging beech hedges. There are fountains, ponds and unexpected lawns where the hedges are interspersed with Romanesque statues. Everything is beautifully maintained, as befits such a house.

As we walk back across the croquet lawn in the brilliant May sunshine, we are surprised that there is no sign of real life around the house. It is on such a day as this that one would want to enjoy one's estate to the full - but maybe the Rohans have the luxury of moving elsewhere while their home is open for us to gawk.

Anyway, Mr Rohan has lots of other things to do, like making money in England where he is very busy at the moment. Airspace Industries, his property company, has assets of ?46m and a balance-sheet total of ?64m, according to its last accounts.

It is his attention to detail that makes his companies so profitable - and his house worth seeing. The day after our visit, his company calls to ask why the number we gave as our car registration when booking was different to the one we arrived in, Because we couldn't remember it, we answer shamefacedly.

It costs ?10 each to visit Charleville House and Gardens. Neither children nor dogs are allowed in the house.