137-acre Patchwork Farm of Potential on Shannon Estuary

The gently rolling hills that typify the topography of the land to the west of Limerick City are home to an interesting mixture of land uses, writes Conor Power. This is where one of the prime agricultural zones of Ireland sits shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the most important industrial regions of the country.

The lands are rich and productive and the levels of farming are generally intensive, with dairying being very much to the fore on the edges of the roughly-defined Golden Vale.

At the same time, there is much industry here, with activities that run the entire gamut of industry types, from cottage industries to IT-specialist SMEs, multinational giants, and heavy industry.

These are complementary activities in their own way, with workers and city dwellers needing farm production as much as farms need markets and wealth creation on their doorsteps for their own survival and prosperity.

The 137-acre coastal farm currently for sale with GVM Auctioneers is located right in the heart of this highly productive part of Ireland. From the air, it certainly cuts a fascinating presence, with its multi-coloured patchwork of fields denoting various crops and activity.

It is situated on the southern side of the Shannon Estuary in the townland of Courtbrown and features a very lengthy stretch of meandering shoreline that comprises its entire western boundary and much of its northern flanks. The village of Askeaton lies 5km to the south, a small settlement dating from the 16th century.

To the west, it’s all industry, with the towering buildings of the Aughinish Alumina — Europe’s largest alumina production facility — just 10km away and the Foynes deep-water port a farther 5km from the farm.

To the east — 33km away — lies Limerick City itself and to the north just across the broad river is Shannon International Airport. The farm is accessed through a cul-de-sac roadway.

As selling agent Tom Crosse reveals, this farm represents an eclectic mixture, both in terms of activity and land quality: “It’s very mixed in terms of quality: there’s forestry in there and some shoreline land and there’s some good arable agricultural land too — currently under tillage. There’s about 40-45 acres of good land and about 50-55 acres of crag, a couple of acres of shoreline and then there’s about 45 acres of forestry.”

There are no entitlements with the bulk of the land but the forestry plantation is still producing yearly premiums. Further details are available from the agents.

There is a farmhouse, which is located more or less in the middle of the property, surrounded by outbuildings. These are all in a derelict condition, according to the agents, but have the potential to be improved if the next owner so desires.

The interest in the property so far has been steady, according to Tom: “It’s just on the market a couple of weeks and we’ve had quite good interest with a few people looking at it.”

The guideline price for this intriguing substantial farm is €650,000. At €4,700/acre, it’s certainly one way of acquiring a good quantity of land in a very well-served area.

Indeed, the entire holding is one that holds plenty of potential: “There is a bit of work to be done that could improve it and that could be done over time but it’s suitable for beef or dairying or equestrian purposes if developed right.”

The farm has plenty of markets on its doorstep and a current tenant has been using the farm to supply local buyers for his produce, according to the selling agents: “He’s a local man who subscribes to all the local markets around Limerick and beyond and he has about 50 acres of it under tillage.”

When you’re in the middle of one of the country’s most important industrial zones, you always have such options.