Offers in excess of €300,000 sought for 58-acre island holding
The emergence of a large or medium-sized block of land on Bere Island in West Cork is a rare event. So rare, in fact, that regardless of its current land use, the size of it, and the fact that it’s on Bere Island, it is enough to make it a very talked-about property.
As it turns out, this is a piece of forestry land, and mature forestry at that. Located in the townland of Rerrin at the eastern end of the famous island, it is composed of Sitka spruce which is now ready for harvesting by the next owner.
Bere Island has a colourful history. The large island sits just off Castletownbere at the western end of the Beara Peninsula, sheltering Ireland’s second-largest fishing port.
It was the last of the strategic ports to be vacated by the British armed forces in 1938, and is today home to historical monuments marking various stages in Ireland’s history, from the Neolithic through to the Norman era, the Napoleonic (Martello Tower) and the more modern former British Army barracks, which now houses an army barracks and shooting range.
“This land is in the townland of Rerrin,” says Cork-based selling agent Dominic Daly, of Dominic J Daly & Co.
“It’s up beyond the army encampment, and some of it is bounding Dominic Murphy’s boatyard.”
The land in question enjoys a very long stretch of water frontage (400 metres) on what is some of West Cork’s most sought-after coastline.
This holding will very likely attract a range of potential customers, and many of them won’t be from the farming community.
Having such a long stretch of water frontage opens up a number of possibilities on this quite sparsely populated island.
Depending on who buys this property, it may very well end up holding some potential to construct a dwelling.
The existence of the forestry plantation will possible oblige the next owners to continue to plant the sizeable holding, but that will also be a very shrewd investment as it enters the next stages of regular returns.
Meanwhile, the return from harvesting the timber is yet to be realised.
“The property has significant road frontage too,” points out Dominic. The lands are divided by the public road, and may be sold in one or more lots.
Any development potential remains mere speculation.
But islands are special, and this one has a very special agricultural/rural mixture.
While benefitting from all the statute advantages of being an island, Bere Island is very close to the mainland, with a regular ferry service.
If you arrive at the right time of the day and take the ferry from Castletownbere, you’ll witness the sight of several secondary school students coming from the town on foot and then picking up their island-standard non-NCT cars on Bere Island.
That, in a snapshot, is Bere Island and for this large chunk of this truly unique island, offers “in excess of €300,000” (or €5,200 per acre) will be considered.
