€1m plus sought for 95-acre farm near Carrignavar

The rural zone to the north of Cork City enjoys as many advantages as one could dream up in terms of a productive and promising area for agriculture to thrive.

For a start, it is close to the city and to all the markets that this offers on its doorstep — not only in the city and its outlying towns but also in the fact the presence of an airport and seaport allow ease of access to a host of markets beyond.

Then there are the towns that surround Cork City — each of them growing well and some at exponential rates. Many of them have a thriving farmers’ market scene that offer even more options for the industrious farmer. Places such as Midleton, Blarney, Cobh and Glanmire all fit into that category.

Finally, the road network around here is very impressive and in this part of the world, both the Cork-Dublin and Cork-Limerick roads are roughly equidistant from a property in the middle of this zone, a large 95-acre holding recently introduced to the market by Cork-based auctioneers Cohalan-Downing.

The residential property is in the townland of Templemichael, approximately 4km from the village of Carrignavar. Cork City is 11km south of here. Carrignavar is said to have been the site of the last castle in Munster to fall to Cromwell. Nothing remains of that stronghold today but the village has managed to retain its character in spite of the growth of so many similar settlements.

Although there is a residence and some outbuildings on the property, they are all in need of plenty of renovation work, according to selling agent Maurice Cohalan:

“The house and outbuildings are semi-derelict and in need of refurbishment,” he says, adding that it’s not envisaged to break up the farm into different lots at this point, although one cannot rule out such an eventuality entirely. The house is a two-storey traditional farmhouse. The structure appears sound and there’s a “useful” range of outbuildings includes an old farmyard, sheds and a variety of stone buildings suitable for restoration and conversion if the next owner so requires.

The size of the holding alone makes it a rarity and the agent concedes that very little has come up in these parts with which to compare this farm. Accordingly, the interest has been strong to date, with plenty of enquiries, map requests and visits. As ever with a farm, the main show is the land itself and this farm does not fall short in that regard.

Carrignavar means “rock of the men”, but this holding is no rocky outcrop: “The land on this farm is of top quality,” says Maurice. “There is very little, if any, waste. There’s also very good road frontage. There are several roads running along its boundary and it could easily be sub-divided if so required.”

The farm is at a junction between a number of public roads, including the R614 and the L6974. “It’s all about the location and quality of land and this is good country.” The price expectation is accordingly positive though not as bullish as it might have been had the farm gone on the market two years ago. The “one million plus” guide reflects a per-acre figure of €10,500, which is surely conservative given the array of quality and advantages that this farm holds.

“We’re quoting €10,000 per acre but expecting it to do better,” says Maurice. “It’s a nice piece of ground and it’s very convenient. You do have to do some restoration in terms of the buildings but the framework is there and the land is top quality pasture.”