Show society in 126-acre purchase

HOME at last — the Munster Agricultural Society (MAS) has finally found permanent exhibition grounds at Curraheen, Cork, following five years of searching.

In a deft piece of outside-the-box thinking, the society has joined forces with UCC to buy the 126-acre farm from receiver PWC, and indirectly, from Nama.

The property used to belong to development company, JJ Fleming and Co. Builder John Fleming purchased the 126-acre farm from the Murphy family in 2005, for a whopping €17 million — just shy of €135,000 per acre.