“TIME ON THEISLAND IS LIKE ANINTENSIFICATIONOF LIFE”

Usually, putting the words“island” and “redevelop-ment” in the same sen-tence is enough to elicitboos and hisses from thetree-huggers, the plan-ning authorities and themore eco-conscious mem-

bers of the public. Nobody, it seems,likes a modern-day Crusoe.

But Nadim Sadek, an Irish-Egyptianbusinessman, has managed to do thenigh-on impossible. He has redevelopedhis own island — Inishturkbeg in ClewBay — as an exclusive retreat dottedwith a handful of luxury residencesavailable to rent for corporate getawaysand family get-togethers.

The seemingly impossible part is that,with the help of Andrew Wright, a UK-based architect, he has done it all with-out raising so much as a whimper fromMayo’s planning authorities.

“I think because we played it straightfrom the start, we got off on a verygood footing with the planners,” saysSadek, who bought the island in 2003 forabout ¤1m.

Unlike many island-buyers — includ-ing golfer Nick Faldo, whose hand wasforced by the council to carry out an envi-ronmental impact survey on a Clew Bayisland he intended to redevelop — Sadekand his team undertook a land andmarine assessment themselves beforeapproaching the council for approval.

Rather than pockmark the previouslyuninhabited isle with mock-whitewashcottages, faux-period villas or a celeb-magnet golf complex, Sadek’s plans forInishturkbeg have unfolded in relativeharmony with Mother Nature.

Most of the buildings are in a warm,dark green, making them virtually invis-ible from the sea, and stone was import-ed from derelict sites on the nearbymainland to maintain the traditionalIrish stone-wall appearance.

The largest residence on the islandhas a sedum grass roof with solarpanels, and the remainder of the 63-acreisle has been left wild for the grazing ofhorses and sheep.

One of the more ambitious ele-ments of the Inishturkbeg ven-ture is the island’s as-yet unre-alised subterranean luxuryhome — a 5,000-sq-ft, five-bedroom house that willbe entirely invisible savefor its large, west-facingoval windows.

The undergroundbolthole is the design ofWright, and involvesthe use of irregularlyshaped pre-cast con-crete blocks. It would bebuilt into the groundroughly 500m from the12,000-sq-ft Island House,Inishturkbeg’s main proper-ty and home to Sadek, hiswife Sandra O’Malley (whosefather is from Westport) and theirchildren Searsha, Shaefri, Sean andOisin, aged from 5 to 18.

Every room in the luxury warren will

have large windows with views to thewest and the north, taking in Clare andAchill Islands and Croagh Patrick.

The main living area will be a double-height space with a mezzanine and asemi-circular living room. The housewill be hidden from aerial view bygrass-covered topsoil.

It will be partially subterranean,rather than a windowed cave, Sadekexplains. “It’s more like we’re backingthe house into the landscape ratherthan totally burrowing under-ground,” he says. “I love the idea,it’s gorgeous, and it’s cool. But itcosts four times more to build, socool comes at a price.”

Building costs aside, even thetransportation of materials isalmost prohibitively expen-sive. “There’s no real road assuch and it’s on a more remotepart of the island,” Sadek says.“We’d have to airlift everythingin by helicopter anyway, as someof the concrete panels are too largefor a boat.”

Given the size and weight ofthe pre-cast concrete panels, amilitary-style chopper would beneeded, which costs in theregion of ¤10,000 per hour. Cost isjust part of the reason for Sadek’shesitation, despite the fact thatthe local authorities have grantedplanning permission. Temporarydisruption of the haven he hasworked to create, and the fear ofgoing too far, are factors too.

“There is a fine line between over-development and having things justright,” he says. “Obviously, we want tobe part of the community here. Andwe’ve promised the children we won’talways have diggers and buildersswarming all over their playground.”

The physical development of Inish-turkbeg is just two-thirds of the story.

For rental purposes, the Inishturkbegteam considers the entire island as a sin-gle dwelling. Its residences include the12,000-sq-ft, eight-bedroom main housewith 10,000 sq ft of Swedish larch deck-ing, which the O’Malley-Sadek familyinhabits for roughly four months of theyear. Down by the jetty, on the easternshoreline, is the three-bed Pavilion, aRed Dot award-winning buildingdesigned by Swedish architect Maria

Rutenskold.The 700-sq-ft Reek

Cottage, the Pavilion’stwo-bed sister property,

is located adjacent to theall-weather pitch, andfinally Yard Cottage, a

600-sq-ft two-bedroomhouse in the middle of the

island, sits next to the farm’s pol-ytunnel, stables, boathouse and

orchard. Guests are free to fish,do one of several water-

sports, ride theisland’s horses,harvest foodfrom the farm,get a massage ormake jewellery.

Since the island development wasfinally completed in April, Sadek has letit out to a number of corporate groups,including a Virgin Group company, alarge brand design agency and ResearchInternational, the world’s largestresearch agency.

“Inishturkbeg has its fun element,but I also work a lot from here, saysSadek. “When people have come formeetings I’ve noticed they drop theirguards more and are more productive.They are super-oxygenated, in a way.”

Sadek and his team do not view Inish-turkbeg as a holiday resort with villasand separate lots for the rich to rent andlock themselves away.

“We haven’t developed it that way,”says Sadek. “We see the whole island asone single home and our preference is,ideally, a single rental.

“No matter how successful or wealthyyou think you are, some day on theisland you might run out of fuel and aneighbour will have to pull you with arope. It’s a grounding place, with a cer-tain irony — there are no distractions,but plenty to do.”

The island can cater for up to 36 peo-ple — big enough, Sadek says, not to becramped, but small enough not to getlost. The family aren’t present during arental, although an island manager anda team of staff are on hand daily.

Rental of the whole island, withexclusivity premium, costs ¤9,000 pernight. The Island House alone costs¤5,000 a night, the Pavilion costs ¤2,000per night, Reek Cottage costs ¤1,000 per

night and Yard Cottage tariff is ¤600 pernight. A further property, Stud Cottageon the mainland, costs ¤1,000 per night.Surcharges apply to the rental of eachhouse where a maximum number ofguests per house is exceeded, andsupplements apply in high season.

Sadek is a psychologist by training,having studied at Trinity CollegeDublin, but became a globe-trotting cor-porate player in brand management.When he discovered Inishturkbeg, thepscyhologist in him underwent apersonal re-evaluation.

“When I first came here, I was struckby how time spent on the island is likean intensification of life,” he says. “Youget a pscyhological uplift from reachingan island after a time at sea.”

Meanwhile, Sadek’s inner marketeerhas sprung into action to develop aclear, strategic commercial direction forthe island. A range of toiletries, as wellas an Irish whiskey, are planned fornext year, while the Inishturkbeg foodbrand will launch at Harrods for thiscoming Christmas season.

Inishturkbeg is about to becomemore than the windswept island life-style on a weekly lease. It’s Ireland’snext home-spun brand. Sadek hastaken what was a personal venture andtransformed it into a globally saleablebrand — an achievement the averagepsychologist might literally refer to as“taking work home”.

l+ www.inishturkbeg.com;www.andrewwrightassociates.com

Solution to the

ClewInishturkbeg’sRobinson Crusoehas built an islandresort in this mostsensitive of bays.Dara Flynnreveals how

The upstairs terrace on Island Houseoffers a great sea view ; inset, Sadek

AndrewWright Associates

Even this swimming pool is rockpool-like, in keepingwith itssurroundings; left, holidaymakers can rent out the properties

Inishturkbeg and, inset, the plansdrawn up to preserve its beauty

6 home COVER STORY

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