Land-bank north of Blarney

Property in the area north of Blarney and Tower is as sought after by people looking to invest as it is by those looking for more land on which to farm - particularly for those parcels of land that come in the more bank-friendly sizes of between 20 and 50 acres.

So when you hear about a 31-acre plot at the spot known locally as New Tipperary Cross just north of Donoghmore village, you can almost feel the sense of expectation in the air for one of the first pieces of land to be auctioned in the New Year in Munster.

This is a rural area with a balanced mixture of dairying and tillage farming— surrounded by a lot of farmers who will surely be eyeing up this piece of agricultural land with intent.

Added to that is a growing number of the new land investors: people of the post-boom era with money to invest but preferably not in a bank, but rather a ‘land-bank’; a parcel of a manageable size that will increase in value over time while being let out to a farmer.

Coachford is 11km to the southwest, while Tower and Blarney are about 16km to the southeast, with the N20 Cork/Limerick road about 10km east of this site, which is all under pasture and has been let for some years.

There are no Single Farm Payments going with the property or outbuildings, but it is in excellent condition, according to Sheila O’Flynn of Sherry Fitzgerald in Cork city, who are handling the sale of the property that is coming up for auction on January 28 at the Blarney Castle Hotel.

There are two lengths of extensive road frontage along the parcel’s northern and western boundaries.

The property has a guide price of €375,000.

This equates to a per-acre price of €12,000 - a conservative enough guide, which one would expect to be exceeded when the property comes up for auction.

Prices achieved for similarly good land with a comparable acreage in this area have comfortably achieved €15,000/acre.