Strong interest in four-farm sale
Expect a crush. This is going to be one of the better auctions of the year — four farms, all in good condition, hitting the market at the same time. It’s an event, more than a sale.
GVM’s Tom Crosse says the decision to sell the farms in one fell swoop was an executor’s decision — and as a piece of public relations, it’s a superb move, because not only is it a major talking point, it has generated huge interest.
And with over 300 acres, there’s something for everyone in the audience, almost.
The properties are a two-bytwo proposition, in that the Clorane and Ferrybridge farms are close to each other, as are the Herbertstown and Ballinamona lands, so there’s also the option for potential buyers of purchasing two, rather than one property.
The late Eamon Garrett was an excellent judge of land, says Tom Crosse, and the GVM agent sold him property in his acquisitive days. “He was a great farmer and bought a lot of land over the years; he had a great eye for good land, good limestone land. I sold him one or two farms over the years, and he always bought the best of land.”
The agent says he is looking forward to a good auction. “There’s a huge amount of interest from far and wide, and I’m hopeful of a good auction. There’s a lot of interest from Cork and Kerry, and one of the holdings is such that it’s a sustainable farm in its own right.”
He’s referring to the Ferry-bridge farm, which, with 152 acres of top quality limestone land, would make a ready-togo operation for a young farmer — and which could make up a quite substantial farm holding along with the purchase of the neighbouring 41-acre holding at Clorane, he suggests.
The Ferrybridge farm is the largest of the four on offer, and is located on the Askeaton-Foynes road just beyond Ferrybridge. It comprises 158 acres of top quality, limestone lands in a single block.
With extensive road frontage and river frontage onto the Shannon, the farm comes with cattle handling facilities, along with silage slab, cubicle house and other sheds. It also has quarrying potential, says Tom Crosse, and comes with electricity and piped water for a private well. The guide for this particular property is in the region of €1.2m to €1.25m.
The neighbouring Clorane lands, in the Kildimo-Adare area, are also in one block, with good road frontage and top quality pasture. The farm comes with a cattle crush and holding pen and has a private water supply. It’s price guided at around €400,000.
The remaining two farms at Ballinamona, Hospital, and Herbertstown, Co Limerick offer single blocks of 56 and 77 acres, respectively.
The first comes with a derelict residence and cattle handling facilities and good road frontage, while the second has a south-facing aspect and frontage onto the Limerick-Hospital road. It also comes with a yard and cattle crush and both farms have a price guide of around €10,000 per acre. So, top quality land is a variety of locations in ready-to-graze condition — it should be a great day at auction for GVM’s Tom Crosse.
