Meet the Northern Ireland man whose estate has been playground for rich and famous … including Michael Jackson

He is perhaps the only man ever to say no to Kim Kardashian and he also famously hosted Michael Jackson and his children during a secret three-week stay in Ireland. Dungannon entrepreneur Des McGahan and his Australian wife Lisa gave Ireland its very first exclusive private hotel when they bought the rundown Ballinacurra Georgian manor house in Kinsale 20 years ago.

Through sheer hands-on hard work they spent many years transforming what was a dilapidated historic building into a stunning private retreat for the rich and famous as well as a luxury corporate and wedding hire venue.
Over the years, guests have included billionaire Heineken heiress Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
Now ready to move on to his next project, Des (67) has put Ballinacurra House on the market for a cool €6,500,000.
After just a month, the property has been attracting international interest with mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor rumoured to be among several potential buyers.
Kinsale is known as the Irish Riviera, attracting more millionaires than anywhere else outside of Dublin.
In June of this year, of the 27 properties priced at more than €1m listed for sale in Cork, half were located in the small coastal town of Kinsale, which has a population of less than 5,000 people.
And local man Des’ property is the most expensive of all.

A true rags-to-riches story, the man behind the success of Ballinacurra first left Northern Ireland at the age of 18 with £20 in his pocket and spent a year homeless, bunking down in a squat in London.
The youngest of 10 children who grew up in a working class family, he left Northern Ireland because of the Troubles in the 70s in search of a better life.
Through much toil, determination — and perhaps a little bit of luck along the way — he managed to educate himself and transform his fortunes.
Now a multi-millionaire who has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names on the planet, Des remains a grounded family man who has never forgotten his Northern Irish roots.

Married to Lisa he is devoted to her and their three children, Dorothy (26), Scarly (23) and Finn (21).
Des was studying for a degree in creative media and journalism in Australia is his 20s when he met Lisa who was studying to become a doctor.
The couple had a thirst for adventure and spent their first years together travelling across Asia.
It was by pure accident they ended up in Hong Kong where Des made his fortune, as he explains: “I was very lucky to meet a super smart, beautiful, intelligent Australian woman.
“We decided to sell up and jump on a plane and see a bit of the world.
“We had bought a cheap travel ticket and we were on a plane from Bangkok to Manilla when we were asked if we wouldn’t mind getting off in Hong Kong because the flight was full.
“We were supposed to get our connecting flight the day after but 15 years later, we were still in Hong Kong and I was running Asia’s biggest events company.”
It was while overseeing a major golf tournament in Jamaica that the idea for an exclusive private estate in Ireland first took hold.
He explains: “It was like one of those seminal moments in Montego Bay. I was running the world golf tournament and we had rented two beautiful mansions, one belonged to Paul McCartney and the other to Luis Vuitton.

“I saw what I thought was the future of my business with a private estate that you could rent out. I didn’t know where though. A couple of years later I sold my events company Prism. Lisa had been to Kinsale and fell in love with it, so we went there looking for a house and we found Ballinacurra.”
Using the money he made from the sale of his company, he and Lisa set about transforming the 25,000 sq ft Ballinacurra House into the exclusive private-hire venue it is today.
The house sits on 40 acres of breathtaking grounds and walled gardens, overlooking the Bandon River and featuring its own private jetty, pond, streams, horse riding arena, stables and more than 20 acres of manicured lawns.
With no previous experience renovating property, Des and Lisa got stuck in and completely restored the 18th century house, retaining much of its original beauty but injecting personality into the interior as well as modern luxury touches.
The couple have spent millions creating the ultimate private venue.
Des says: “An old house is like a beautiful woman, you can’t cheat on it or it will show up, you’ve got to put the best in and that’s what we did. Every single blade of grass and every room, Lisa and I had a hand in creating.
“While we wanted to emphasise the authenticity of the Georgian property with reclaimed floors, period fireplaces and other original features, we also wanted to inject a bit of fun into it.
“The house is very eclectic and features ideas and things we have collected from all over the world. All our baths and sinks were reclaimed from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and restored by us.
“Our whole vision was that it would be very high end and we had no idea about interior design, gardening or renovating when we went into it. I’m proud that it has won many awards.”
A magical retreat set behind 12-foot walls with electric gates, it has proved the perfect place for celebrities to hide away from the glare of the media.
One of its most famous guests was Michael Jackson who took over the house for three weeks while planning his comeback tour just two years before his death in 2009 at the age of 50.

It is a reflection of how closely Des and Lisa guarded their famous clients’ privacy that no one knew until after his death that the King of Pop had spent three weeks with them.
It is a time Des recalls with fondness and which provided many magical moments, one of which he shares today. He explains: “I knew I was getting a famous guest but I had no idea who. This black Mercedes Jeep pulled up outside my door and out popped Michael Jackson and you could have pushed me over with a feather.
“He didn’t have a large entourage and his three beautiful children were with him.
“He asked that I send the staff home so everyone including our Michelin star chefs had to go and there was only me and Lisa looking after them.
“But even celebrities like KFC and Chinese takeaway and we ordered food to be delivered to them a few times. He was writing songs and preparing for his comeback tour.

“We set up a classroom in the ballroom for his children and every day they would go to school there with their private tutor.
“It was August and the long days of summer and he had been there a week when he asked me one night if I would do him a favour and put all the lights in the grounds on at 11pm, which of course I did.
“After the third night, curiosity got the better of me and I hid behind a bush to see what he was doing. There was Michael Jackson outside the house doing the moonwalk in the moonlight of Kinsale. It was just crazy, just out of this world to see him doing his routine in the moonlight with headphones so that only he could hear the music.”
Another of a wealth of surreal stories was the day he had to turn Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West away. Also among the most famous people on the planet, the couple, who are currently divorcing, were loved up at the time on their honeymoon and wanted to spend a week of it in Ballinacurra.

Des recalls: “I got a call from their management. They were in Paris and wanted to fly to Ireland to spend a week with us.
“I told her that I could do four nights but not the three nights over the weekend as I had a wedding of two A&E doctors from Dublin booked in. It didn’t go down very well.”
Ballinacurra’s idyllic and extensive private acreage with access to the water has more appeal than ever after 18 months of lockdowns.
Sitting beside the beautiful coastal town of Kinsale and close to Cork airport has also made it desirable on the international market.
Des, who often returns to Tyrone where he still has family, does seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to business.
At 67 he plans to slow down once Ballinacurra sells but isn’t prepared to put his feet up just yet.
He adds: “I’ve always been a great believer in taking on one project and getting it finished before moving onto the next.
“I will put this to bed before I put something else on the planning board but I’m 67 now and ready to slow down a bit but I do think there is another project left in me.”
÷ Local selling agents Independent Property Estates is handling the sale of Ballinacurra in Northern Ireland. You can contact them for further details on 028 91 450000.