'Exceptional' West Cork farm expected to breach €20,000 an acre
The 58-acre farm in Knockaneady, Ballineen comes with entitlements, further details of which can be obtained from the selling agents.
For those that may harbour images of West Cork involving rocky foreshores and stony fields, it’s always worth remembering that, apart from the western fringes of Ireland’s largest county, there is a very intensive agricultural scene in West Cork, with some of the most fertile fields to be found anywhere in the country.
The areas around the busy market towns of Bandon and Macroom have become a lightning rod for strong prices and high-yield farming in recent decades and a freshly launched 58-acre farm is one of the best examples of prime land to come on the market in the area in some time.
The farm is located just to the south of the village of Ballineen. Together with its twin village of Enniskeen, it forms a long village west of Bandon, whose powerful dairying scene is embodied in the impressively large Carbery dairy processing plant nearby.
This land is currently in tillage, but that’s not likely to deter those from the dairying sector. It also has good road frontage but doesn’t lend itself to subdivision.
In any case, there seems to be already plenty of interest in this executor sale, according to the selling agent John Hodnett of Clonakilty-based auctioneers Hodnett Forde Property Services.
“It’s an exceptional farm,” said Mr Hodnett.
The low-lying sheltered lands have produced a bumper maize drop in 2021, he adds – a detail that won’t be lost on those with their eyes on this prized piece of Munster land.
“The land is of exceptional quality and it also has the benefit of gravel deposits,” added Mr Hodnett. “It has a fortunate location along a rich vein of gravel deposits by the Bandon River... it would be suited to any crop.
"It’s really one of the more outstanding farms to come on the market in West Cork in recent times. It only went up on the day before Christmas Eve and we’ve already had a lot of phone calls.” The property comes with entitlements, further details of which can be obtained from the selling agents.
The farm includes a house and outbuildings. The dwelling is a substantial home – an extended two-storey traditional-style farmhouse, which is in good condition but in need of modernisation. Accommodation includes two reception rooms, a kitchen, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has oil-fired central heating.
“There’s a nice character to the house,” said Mr Hodnett, “Which has a peaceful southerly aspect and is accessed via a tree-lined lane from the main road.” Outbuildings include two hay sheds, a double lean-to, and stables.
“There are great handling facilities and a large concrete apron,” says John, who describes the condition of the outbuildings as basically good and dry, although in need of updating.
Mr Hodnett is hoping to achieve “somewhere around €1.1 or €1.2 million” for the farm. This translates to a price of between €19,000 and €21,000 per acre. If achieved, it will already make a contender for one of 2022's best land prices for Munster.
