The London-based designer, who oversaw the restoration of Michael Flatley’s sprawling Castlehyde estate, has taken it upon himself to renovate three of Co Cork’s historic but run-down tower houses.

Work should begin on Cregg Castle in Fermoy in the coming weeks, with two other miniature castles he has bought waiting in the wings.

“The first time I saw it was on a Sunday drive with Michael (Flatley),” says Inston. “He had heard that a neighbouring castle was on the market and decided to take a look with a view to buying it.

“When I first glimpsed it looming in the distance, I was mesmerised. It was love at first sight. Michael took a quick look around and said, ‘You’d have to be crazy to take this on’. He wasn’t interested, so I told him I might take a chance on it myself. He was a little surprised but said, ‘Great, we can be neighbours’.” It’s estimated there are up to 1,500 tower houses, or keeps, in various states of repair dotted around the country, but the number that have been converted successfully can be counted on one hand.

Inston certainly has the pedigree to tackle a grand conversion. He overcame a deluge of planning squabbles during his four-year stewardship of Castlehyde. He has also project-managed the renovation of an old watermill in Tuscany, the restoration of a number of plantation houses in the Caribbean and the transformation of a Grade I-listed castle near Windsor, Berkshire, for the emir of Qatar.

When the Hilton hotel group decided to draw up plans for a lunar hotel in the late 1990s, they turned to him. He promptly drafted sketches for a 1,000ft-high complex with high-speed lifts, fresh water pumped from the moon’s ice reserves and a pressurised interior allowing guests to walk freely.

Restoring a handful of historic tower houses in Co Cork, then, should be a doddle. “After all the problems that dogged Castlehyde’s mammoth restoration, I’m ready for the worst,” he says.

“As they are national monuments, you need permission from the minister for the environment to carry out any work, so we had people from Duchas, the heritage body, down to see the site last week.

“Once we’ve explained our intentions, we’ll win them over. After all, our goal is to return the three tower houses to their original use — family homes.”

This, he says, is his trump card in winning over planning watchdogs. “A lot of people don’t realise that these structures are just fortified residences. They housed generations of people from the 14th century onwards before falling into disrepair. They may seem unrestorable at first sight, but after working on broadly similar projects, I’ve come up with a simple design. The key is not to over-restore. Cregg is the jewel in the crown, and once its plans are passed, I can use them as a template for the other two.”

Inston’s vision is to turn the three crumbling relics, Cregg Castle, Carrignacurra Castle near Macroom and Belvelly Castle beside Fota island, into three-bedroom, three-bathroom family residences.

“They are tall and narrow, which can lead to complications, but nothing insurmountable,” he says. “Although they’re relatively modest in size, my vision is for each castle to have its own boot room where wellingtons, fishing rods and sporting guns can be stored.

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