Proud Kilkenny man to star in new series of The Great House Revival on RTE

Proud Kilkenny man, Sean Hickey, will star in the Great Irish House Revival series alongside the late Hugh Wallace, and will showcase his stunning new home.

The programme, the first episode in the sixth series, will be screened on RTE this Sunday.

Last year, architect and TV personality, Hugh Wallace embarked on a journey to chart eight more restorations across Ireland.

His excitement and enthusiasm about observing buildings being brought back to life was unmatched. Hugh Wallace died following a heart attack last December.

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Six of those homes are now complete and ready to inspire the audience.

By way of tribute to Hugh and with the help of his friend Brendan Courtney, this series will chart the homeowners journeys to transform six distinct, old buildings that had been left to rack and ruin, as they take on the behemoth task of reviving these buildings.

Sean has been working two jobs to save for his first home.

Monday to Friday he is a primary school teacher, and at weekends and school holidays, he works as a landscape gardener.

After all his hard work, and diligent saving, he now has the keys to his home in his dream location of Kilkenny City. But his home is in far from turnkey condition.

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History buff Sean does not like to throw anything out, and as a result his parents’ garage has turned into a “salvage” yard full of items Sean has redeemed and saved from skips over the years.

From a clock rescued from his old primary school to old, reclaimed bricks, Sean is planning to utilise it all to save money on making his home a reality.

Relying on his close-knit community and his strong work ethic, Sean is planning to faithfully restore and renovate his Victorian home on a budget of €100,000 - with half of that coming from grants.

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But with the chimney in need of repair and an old, dilapidated extension which needs to be knocked and replaced, can Sean afford to do everything on his to-do-list for his renovation?

Or will the compromises mean he will be living with his parents for some time?

The Great House Revival airs Sunday, March 15 at 9.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.