Versatile midlands holding with dairy conversion potential
€1m is the asking price for a 132ac former beef farm near Kinnegad in Westmeath, reports
THERE is no better place to spend a fine autumn day than on the lakeshores of Westmeath. Last week, I met Padraic Murtagh of James L Murtagh auctioneers in Mullingar, not far from the statue of the late, great Joe Dolan. He had a range of Lakeland farms to show me, so we took off towards Kinnegad to view a 132ac residential holding at Griffinstown coming to auction with a guide of €1m.
Located on the outskirts of the ‘gateway to the west and north west’, the farm is 7km from Killucan, 18km from Mullingar and 62km from Dublin.
It has been rented for a number of years and is made up of fine dry grazing ground that is firm under foot and gently undulating between the N4 and the Killucan road from Kinnegad.
Divided into nine fields by traditional hedgerow that could do with some trimming in places, the holding has 600m road frontage on to the old N4, allowing for plenty of access. It also has 180m frontage on to the Killucan road.
In its day, the 132ac holding was home to a substantial beef operation, and with some attention the land could be brought back to its glory.
An extensive yard on the holding has a range of dated but useful buildings that include a four-column shed with double lean-tos, a four-column shed with a single lean-to, a three-column hay-barn, a garage, a fuel shed and two silage pits. This yard was once at the centre of an impressive beef operation.
The residence is a solid two-storey farmhouse, structurally sound and in perfectly habitable condition, although any new owner will want to put their own mark on it.
The accommodation includes a porch leading to a hallway that in turn leads to a number of well-proportioned reception rooms including a sitting room, dining room and a living room.
The downstairs also has a kitchen and shower and a guest WC. The family bathroom is located on the first floor along with four bedrooms, one of which has en-suite facilities.
RANGE OF USES
Mr Murtagh describes the farm as “a fine holding that could be put to a range of uses” including tillage and grass. With some infrastructural adjustment, it could be transformed into a decent dairy farm.
At auction, the property will be offered in lots and as an entire. The house and yards on 82ac, with access from the old N4, will make one lot guided at ¤650,000. A 50ac parcel with access from the Killucan Road will make up the second portion, guided at ¤350,000. The auction takes place at the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar at 3pm on Friday, October 26.
Mr Murtagh also took me to see a compact 20ac parcel of ground at Cullionmoe, 4km from Mullingar and overlooking the lovely Lough Owel. Accessed by a wide passageway from the road, the parcel is all in one field made up of mainly high ground and two fields away from the lake. While there is a natural pond close to the boundary furthest from the road, underfoot the ground was bone-dry.
The passageway giving access to the road has cattle-handling facilities and plenty of room for tractors, trucks or machinery to manoeuvre. At €140,000 the land would make an ideal addition to a current holding or a nice piece of ground for hobby farming. Indeed, with the proper planning permission, the property could be turned into a handy residential holding with fine lake views. The 20ac will be sold at auction at the Greville Arms Hotel at 3pm on Thursday, November 1.