‘Horsey’ country base for €900,000

NEAT HEDGES, post and rail fences and immaculate stone entrances - it has to be Kildare horsey country. Once you leave the M9 the manicuring hand of the human is everywhere in evidence. Last week I found myself in this neck of the woods walking a 107ac grass farm at Mullaboden 2km from Ballymore Eustace. The property is for sale by public auction with a guide price of €900,000 or under €8,500/ac.

Located 8km from Naas and 8km from Kilcullen on a local road off the R411 the farm comes with 150m of road frontage and is laid out in five fields with stands of mature trees.

The place was bought during the boom years and restricted planning permission was granted by Kildare Co Council for the building of a residence extending to almost 10,000sq ft, a gate lodge and an Irish sport horse training centre.

The planned facilities include a tack room, feed store, hay and bedding stores, changing rooms and offices. A separate building is planned to accommodate 20 loose boxes, a tack room and foaling boxes. Out of doors the permission includes a lunging area, a wash down area, a horse walker, an outdoor dressage arena and an all-weather cross country track.

There is also permission for a 1,200 sq ft gate lodge and a 750sq ft garage. Undoubtedly this had the makings of a top of the range equestrian farm.

However, as of now the place has to be viewed in agricultural terms. Any revisiting of the planning permission and its restrictions would be a matter for the new owner and the planning authorities.

The lowest of the land is to the front of the property where it is softer in nature than the rest but it rises in the second field to a lovely elevation where it had been planned to locate the residence and equestrian facilities. This field commands lovely views over the surrounding lands with their elegant trees. A stream runs through the property giving an uninterrupted supply of water.

The 107.5ac was once part of the Mulloboden estate and the house is still standing adjacent to this property. The soil is classified as ‘Kennycourt Series’ suitable for grass or crops. Indeed Paddy Jordan explains that there have been quite a few enquiries from tillage farmers but adds that the sod has never been broken on this piece of ground. Some work would need to be done on the lower parts of the farm to make them ready for the plough.

The place will undoubtedly make for good bloodstock ground and given the surrounding pedigree of the bloodstock farms there will undoubtedly be interest from those quarters.

The property will be sold at auction at Lawlor’s Hotel, Naas at 3pm on Wednesday, March 8.