Kilkenny moving to €12m mart

AFTER more than half a century the last cattle sale at the existing Kilkenny Livestock Mart will take place tomorrow ending an era for one of the largest and most successful marts in the country.

The first sale of livestock at the new €12m modern livestock one mile from the town will be held with the opening of the state-of-the-art facility on July 26.

Kilkenny Mart has been trading at Barrack Street, Kilkenny for 51 years, building up a very successful business as one of the leading marts in the country which peaked with a turnover averaging €1m per week.

In recent years development in Kilkenny City surrounded the existing mart and the increased traffic flow did not make for easy access for sellers or buyers.

The new mart which is set out on a 10-acre site, will be part of a much larger agri centre being established by Kilkenny Livestock Mart on a 29-acre greenfield site at Cillin Hill a mile from the city on the Carlow road.

Under the chairmanship of Michael Parsons and the management of Michael Lynch the new complex has been developed with facilities for agri-related retail units and a range of offices, with the additional area to be developed as a business park.

The mart will be one of the largest and most modern in Europe, using a streamlined system for the throughflow of cattle and the maximum safety for handlers and farmers.

The 500-plus seating accommodation can be divided to service two separate sales rings on sale days or easily adapted into one large unit for other events to cater for the maximum capacity.

It is fitted with a hi-tech automatic cleaning system for the premises and plenty of boot washers for those using the mart on sales days.

There are two restaurants on the premises.

Although turnover at Kilkenny has dropped in recent years, in line with the rest of the country, the committee is confident of a positive future for the mart system of cattle trading.