Negotiations ongoing for Kilkenny holding
KILKENNY auctioneer Ed Donohoe had mixed results when he sold portions of a 150ac residential grass farm beside Mount Loftus Estate near the Carlow border on the road between Kilkenny and Graiguenamanagh.
The holding was offered in three lots spread over three townslands located in the parish of Skeoghvosteen. One lot sold under the hammer, one sold after auction and one is still the subject of negotiation.
A 9ac lot sold under the hammer making €135,000 or €15,000/ac, while a 37ac parcel was bid to €280,000, withdrawn and sold after auction for a much higher price. The main lot, 90ac of grass with the house and yard, failed to sell and was withdrawn at €700,000.
The 9ac piece that got away under the gavel is made up of the two fertile fields of roadside land. On the day, it opened at €80,000 and was driven to €120,000 by two farmers until the hammer fell at €135,000 in favour of the adjoining landowner.
The other lot to sell is a c37ac parcel located across a by-road from the main section. Bounding the walled garden of the adjacent Mount Loftus House this parcel of elevated ground has the best of views and plenty of road frontage. It opened at €200,000 and was bid to €280,000 by two bidders before being withdrawn at that, €140,000 short of its guide. The piece sold after auction for a higher price.
Sward
The main parcel of 90ac rises to a fine elevation and has a fine sward of grass as well as some lovely stands of trees. It includes the house, a solid 19th-century, three-bedroom structure, refurbished in 1990.
The yard adjacent to the house is a mix of mainly dated buildings including a number of cut stone sheds and eight functional stables.
A larger yard has a complex of corrugated iron and steel sheds including a six span haybarn with lean-to, a three-span barn with a lean-to and a five-span A-roofed barn.
A 14ac portion of the land is laid out in three fields that are inclined to be soft with rushy ground.
On the day, bidding on the 90ac residential portion held at €700,000, some €200,000 short of the guide and negotiations are ongoing.