70-acre farm near Bantry expected to be in contract before Christmas

A 68.93-acre farm in the townland of Derryginagh, just outside Bantry in west Cork, may be just the kind of farm that the local market has been waiting for.

cap: Aerial view of the 70-acre farm for sale near Bantry in west Cork, at Derryginagh East.

The rarity of this size of holding coming on the market cannot be underestimated, in anticipating the level of interest and ultimate value that it will achieve.

This far west, it’s not a piece of the Golden Vale, but it’s an attractive, compact holding with free-draining land, offering strong potential.

It is just 5km east of the West Cork market town of Bantry, on what locals refer to as the “back road” to Dunmanway and it overlooks the popular fishing lake of Lough Bofinna, which is just across the public road from this farm.

“It’s land that is naturally free-draining,” says selling agent Denis Harrington of Bantry-based Harrington Estates, “because it runs literally right down to the lake. It drains under the road from the most southerly point of the land in a northerly direction down towards the lake.”

The non-residential property is all under grass at present.

With a certain amount of drainage work and re-seeding, it could be transformed from a good piece of ground into an exceptional one — a fact that has clearly interested the local market, according to the selling agent.

“It’s the makings of a very good farm,” says Denis. “It will take very little to get this place producing very good grass.”

The agent confirms there was already a strong level of interest in the farm before it went to the market.

It has all the hallmarks, perhaps, of a property that might even do well at public auction.

The instructions are to sell by private treaty, however, which is still the preferred option for most farm sales.

“A reflection of our intent to sell it quickly is that we have a price guide of €325,000, which we’re confident will bring strong interest.”

While on the face of it, there appear to be some slightly rough spots in the holding, this is not, the agents say, a true reflection on the quality beneath.

With a guide that puts its value in the region of €5,000 per acre, there surely will be bids in the offing over the coming days and weeks, and Denis says that he won’t be surprised to see that price guide exceeded.

“Going by the values achieved by other properties in the area, we would expect the bidding to be brisk.

“Our intention is to be in contract pre-Christmas.”