Country estates demand hits peak as millionaires go on the hunt

MULTI-MILLIONAIRE buyers willing to spend anything up to €10 million have put demand for large country estates in Ireland at an all-time high.

The hunting ban in Britain appears to be one reason, according to leading estate agents.

Edward Townsend of Colliers Jackson-Stops said interest in country homes on the grand scale had never been so high, with buyers from Britain leading the charge from overseas.

“We have noticed an increasing number of buyers from the UK recently.

“Over 25% of our prospective purchasers are British and they have between €500,000 and up to €10m to spend.”

Of the 300 active enquiries being handled by Colliers Jackson-Stops, 30 buyers have upwards of €5m to spend on their dream home.

Forty-five enquiries are from people with a budget of between €3m and €5m; 75 have a budget of €2-3m while 150 potential buyers have in excess of €1m to spend on their country house.

Mr Townsend said his company had approximately 300 active inquires for large rural estates on its books, many of them with an interest in horses.

“I would imagine that half our buyers from the UK would have equestrian interests and, therefore, it is quite possible with the fox hunting ban that we will see more moving over here.”

The reason for this sudden interest in purchasing property in Ireland may have something to do with the recent signals from Irish fox hunts to their British counterparts warning them that a huge influx of hunting visitors to Ireland will not be tolerated.

“We’ve always had limited room for tourist visitors,” says David Wilkinson, chairman of Countryside Ireland and spokesman for the Hunting Association of Ireland.

“No hunt club can cope with more than half a dozen people, and that’s a fairly standard number around the country. Most hunt clubs in Ireland are oversubscribed, and there is no geographical area left that could be physically hunted on horseback that hasn’t been taken up.”

Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association chairwoman Kate Horgan agrees. “We can’t afford an influx,” said Ms Horgan.

“We want to keep hunting for ourselves.

“The countryside itself won’t take it, because we’re not like the shires in the UK, with huge fields that can take huge amounts of horses. The fields are much smaller here. But the Irish farmers won’t have it anyway and, without them, we can’t hunt.”

GRAND country homes perfect for those in the hunting-fishing-shooting set include:

Humewood Castle: Set in Co Wicklow, it is the grandest home for sale in Ireland at the moment but it might prove too rich for even some of the wealthiest buyers.

Everything about its 60,000 square feet is monumental, including the price tag of €13 million.

Mallow Castle: Anyone looking for a large rural pad could hardly do better than Mallow Castle which is on sale with 30 acres for €7 million plus.

Whoever buys it will also be able to don the title Lord of the manor, as well as having rights established over the centuries to brew ale, collect tolls and hold two fairs a year.

Lissard: Located near Skibbereen in West Cork.

It has over 160 acres, two manor houses, a lake, two principal period dwellings, and a €6 million price guide.

Garranbaun: A fine Georgian house on 30 acres on the market in Moyard, Connemara, Co Galway.

The property is expected to sell for approximately €1.5 million and comes with fishing rights on Lough Garranbaun.

Ballynatray: Set on 400 acres the county’s eastern fringes is no longer available.

It sold last year for €11.2 million.