When interiors entrepreneur Des Kelly passed away last July, some of his grandchildren could not understand why there were photographers camped outside the church at his funeral. One of the more astute children piped up: “Don’t you know? Grandad is Des Kelly, the carpet man.”
Kelly, who opened his first carpet shop in the 1960s and grew it to become one of Ireland’s best-known interiors businesses, with 13 stores in Dublin, Meath and Kildare, ran a radio ad campaign in the 1990s. The jingle went along the lines of: “Des Kelly, Des Kelly, the carpet man.” Despite developing his enterprise to offer a full interiors range and changing the store name to Des Kelly Interiors, the “carpet man” moniker stuck.
The businessman was something of a rags-to-riches tale; he grew up in Dublin’s north inner city, and both he and his late wife, Youlanda, who died in 2013, had eight siblings. As a child, Kelly shared a bed with three of his brothers, and when Youlanda’s home became too cramped, she and her sister moved in with their grandmother.
Kelly started selling carpets at a time when such floor coverings were the preserve of the middle and upper classes in Ireland, but by the 1970s he had established a profitable business. Towards the end of that decade, the couple, along with their five children, were feeling the squeeze in their modest Clontarf semi. They bought a four-acre site on Fairyhouse Road in Dunboyne, Co Meath, close to Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath village and Rathbeggan lakes, and built the 950 sq m Piercetown House, which was completed in 1981. That same year, their sixth child, daughter Youlanda, came along. Two more would follow. Piercetown never felt empty.
“For my parents, the house meant everything. They built it for us and their whole heart and soul went into it. It was a wonderful family home,” says Youlanda.
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The four-bay redbrick property, with its ranch-style balcony to the front, is approached by a long, tree-lined driveway. The house opens into a large entrance hall with four reception rooms off, including a dining room and an outsized 50 sq m sitting room.
“Having such a big lounge was great at Christmas because there were eight of us — and eventually 23 grandchildren — so we’d all gather there,” says Youlanda.
Leading off the hallway at the back is a large, fully tiled and fitted kitchen. Double doors open from here to the sun room. “Mam lived in the kitchen. It was where we’d always congregate.”
Over the past 50 years, Des Kelly Interiors has extended its range to include more than carpets — and, like the stores, the Kelly home has a mix of rich wood flooring and plush carpets. The seven bedrooms upstairs are all carpeted, and most have bespoke built-in wardrobes.
Moving from suburban Clontarf to pastoral Meath may have been a culture shock for the older members of the family, but for the younger children it was all they knew, and they immersed themselves in country life.
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Surrounded by fields and set behind electric gates, Piercetown House’s four acres afford it a high level of privacy. There are nine horse stalls and a tack room on the land, as well as a greenhouse and tennis courts. The family used the front paddocks as a show jumping arena and put in a gallop.
“We all rode. It would be difficult to live in this area, with Fairyhouse and Tattersalls close by, and not get the bug,” says Youlanda, who would regularly have friends over at the weekend to ride the horses and swim in the pool.
The 72 sq m pool house, which was renovated about 10 years ago, includes two saunas, a jacuzzi and shower area, with a gym and games room off. For guests, there is also a detached 96 sq m mews, with living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
A man of faith, Kelly dedicated a lot of time and money to charity, including ones that supported homeless people. He was also a “key supporter” of Bohemians Football Club, which named a stand that he part-funded after him.
One of his final wishes was that Piercetown House would be sold upon his death and that some of the proceeds of the sale would go to six charities.
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“We don’t want to see the house go but we have to honour Dad’s request, and the charities will benefit,” says Youlanda.
Piercetown House is for sale at €1.25m through Wyse; wyse.ie