Quality farm ticks all boxes
Coolkirky, Riverstick is a 227-acre tillage and drystock farm that’s just 15 minutes drive from the city, and yet is right in the heart of intensive farming country.
Land is of good quality. The farm has fine, gently sloping ground and while there’s some waste, a bit of work would sort it out, says agent John Hodnett of SWS Property Services.
It is going to auction on September 18 at Acton’s Hotel, Kinsale, and is expected to hit the €3.5 million mark.
John Hodnett is prepared to sell in lots and, as the farm is divided by a public road and has very good frontage, it would allow an easy division.
That being said, the main bulk of the farm is being sold in Lot A, some 212 acres which includes a house and farm buildings. Lot B is a bungalow, on 10 acres, and Lot C, is a five-acre site.
The entire property, comprising two modern bungalows, a good quality farmyard and 227 acres, is Lot D.
According to John Hodnett, there are over 60 acres under tillage at the moment, with another 30 acres under deciduous forestry. The rest is in pasture, with a little heavy ground. The land is gently sloping to a boundary stream, which would make remedial drainage easier, he says.
Minutes from Kinsale, the house has views as far as Cork Airport.
The farmyard is sheltered by mature trees, part of the grounds of the now derelict Coolkirky House, which was used for storing hay and feeding animals when the vendor’s family moved to the farm in 1911, whereupon they cleared out the house and restored the building. It was burned down in 1999 — and buddleia now grows where the family once lived.
However, the old stone courtyard is still in place, and the buildings, ranging from single to lofted outhouses, could offer conversion potential, either as stables or even extra accommodation.
The two three-bedroomed bungalows are close to the road. Both are modern and in very good condition. The larger of the two includes a double garage, and the second is set back from the road.
Again, like the Mourneabbey sale, the main cohort of interested parties is expected to be farmers who have sold development land and are waiting for the right property to come up.
This Coolkirky farm ticks a lot of boxes — it has a great location, good quality land in one large block, and a modern farmyard and excellent accommodation.
The property is just off the main Cork-Kinsale road, and should also appeal to farmers wishing to expand their operations in the area, seeking greater economy of scale through larger farming units.
