Gallop farm a rare breed
Described as looking like clipped, Neolithic mounds, the gallops on 36 acres near Cork city are the last remaining part of a farm that had been sold piecemeal.
Now back on the market with David Busteed of Brennan Busteed, Shanagore Farm carries a guide price of €595,000, and includes a three-bed farmhouse residence.
Originally devised and designed by former Kinsale bank manager, estate agent and property developer Denis Sheehy, the farm was originally on the market in mid-2002 in lots which, taken together, would have been priced at €1.5 million.
By 2003, the house and 41 acres were back on the market with a €950,000 guide, and were sold early the following year for around that sum.
The purchaser, and now vendor, is Niall Linehan of indie band The Frank and Walters, who runs a successful property development company in Cork, and was responsible for the conversion of Skibbereen’s Methodist church to restaurant use.
The Linehan family also run Curran’s restaurant on Adelaide Street, Cork, close to their renowned joinery and kitchen store.
Since his acquisition of Shanagore Farm, Mr Linehan has built his own residence on part of the grounds and is now selling off the major portion of the land.
Values are back from the staggering amounts achieved locally during the boom. This time round, David Busteed is seeking offers close to €595,000 for the land, gallops, house and 19 loose boxes.
Ever mindful of the dwindling equestrian market, Mr Busteed says the property could be converted back to a grazing farm, with the loose boxes replaced by cubicle housing for cattle. As it stands, the farm also includes a three-span hay-shed, but the two gallops would have to be removed to make a grazing farm viable.
They are expensive, commercially-geared installations, so a “horsy” buyer may see the value in this property, particularly as the costs involved in creating the same layout today would be prohibitive.
With one wood-chip all-weather gallop and a second grass gallop, this farm is really best suited to breeding or training horses. The three-bed farmhouse is comfortable and liveable, says Busteed, and there’s always the option of seeking planning permission for an alternative dwelling, he says. The farm is located on the Cork side of Innishannon, which makes commuting to the city a doddle, and is set in the picturesque Shippool area, just minutes from the landmark Innishannon House Hotel.
The property was initially created by Denis Sheehy as a thoroughbred training yard, and was rated at the time by British-based trainer John Joe O’Neill as one of the best facilities he has come across.
