'I just bought a church...' - tech man went for groceries and came home with divine deeds

'Hey honey I'm home! Oh, and I just bought a church!" Pat O'Connor's wife Claudia wasn't too happy. Initially.

The Meath tech entrepreneur had popped out one Saturday in 2003 and whilst driving through the Westmeath town of Rochfortbridge, he noticed it was choked with traffic. Everyone was walking towards an old church. Curiosity got the better of him, so he stopped off to see what was going on.

"It was an auction," says Pat. "It turned out they were selling the former church building. To make a long story short - I came out as the successful purchaser. For me, it was love at first sight. Needless to say, my wife wasn't overly impressed when I arrived home that day." But happily for Pat, Chilean born Claudia, who works as a fashion designer, was soon won over. "Once she came to see the church, she was fully on board. We make a great team, with my knowledge of heritage and building, along with her fashion and creative flair."

Formerly known as Castlelost Church, Clonlost House was completed in current form in 1815. The Church of Ireland sold it in the 1980s, after which director Paddy Breathnach used it as an animation studio.

"It was a huge undertaking and we spared no expenses with the build. I worked with the Heritage office in Westmeath County Council to come up with a design that kept the great heritage features that still existed, and balanced it with a liveable family house. This included building a large extension to the rear of the church in the Gothic style of the original structure.

Pat was raised in large historical houses. When he was seven, his parents bought Breemount House in Trim and restored it. As he turned 15, they took on Strawberry Hill in Belmont, Co Offaly, a large Gothic style period house which kept them busy for 20 years. "I worked in South America for a number of years and when I came back with Claudia, my first venture was the renovation of Dunville House in Rhode, Co Offaly. It was in complete ruins, with no roof," says Pat.

With the church project, the structure was divided into upper and lower living areas, with the flooring stepped back from the large five-metre Gothic windows to maintain character, maximise the living area and provide heating efficiency.

"I got a lot of help from the local community and experts in the area of building renovations. One of the most beautiful features are the very large cornices (500mm in length). Unfortunately, as the church was vacant over the years, these had perished due to damp conditions. I engaged a local company - Mann Plastering from Kilbeggan, who are experts in cornice restoration - who brought them back.

"My wife's cousin, who is a woodwork craft master, assisted with custom building the kitchen, skirts and doors in teak. We custom made the Gothic windows. All the wood used was teak."

Pat found the original bell in a dirt pile at the back of the house and it suggests an earlier incarnation. "It is dated 1706 and inscribed with the name of Robert Rochfort (1652 - 1727) a lawyer, politician and judge who was Irish Attorney General and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons."

The home spans more than 5,000 sq ft, with a very large games and living/conference room with a Gothic bar (designed by Claudia). There's a lounge, a formal dining room, a kitchen/diner and five double bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms, and the master chamber also has its own dressing room. There's a 400 sq ft detached granny flat and the bell tower offers views across the countryside. It has oak floors throughout and an ornate Gothic carved stairwell.

Pat adds: "The village is a great community - good mix of locals and commuters. My business was on the M25 corridor and it took me 50 minutes to get to work. We moved to Australia in 2010 for one year and ended up staying. We were lucky to rent it to a young family.

"Our boys are now grown up and in University in Melbourne. We miss the church and have great lasting memories and hope that whoever buys it will get the same pleasure we had from it."

Sherry FitzGerald Davitt and Davitt seeks €549,950 on their behalf.