Midlands farm sells for €1.3m at drive-in auction
Land auctions in the pandemic era are happening in fields, open sheds and car parks. And some auctioneers are ensuring social distance by insisting participants and spectators remain in their vehicles. Jim O’Brien looks at three recent deals struck beyond
€19,500 per acre in Laois
At a drive-in auction on a residential farm at Clonboyne on the outskirts of Portlaoise, auctioneer Joseph Coogan sold the 67ac property under the hammer making €1.315m or over €19,500/ac.
The auction saw bidders confined to their vehicles while Mr Coogan ran from vehicle to vehicle taking bids. Luckily the Kilkenny man is a fitness fanatic as he had to repeat the process for three lots. He said that by the time he put away his gavel it felt as if he had run a marathon.
The first lot to sell comprised 40.6ac and included the residence along with an array of good farm buildings. Located about 2.5km from Portlaoise and close to the motorway, the land is described as good agricultural ground divided into eight fields with 300m of road frontage.
Two main contenders, a Kilkenny solicitor acting for a client and a local farmer, battled it out for this section, which made €945,000 or almost €23,300/ac when the hammer fell in favour of the solicitor.
A second lot extending to c 13ac, located 3km from Portlaoise with substantial road and lane frontage, sold for €170,000. A 13.7ac parcel with 235m of frontage and two farm access points made €200,000 and both were bought by a local solicitor acting for customers.
On-farm sale in Kildare
Jordan Auctioneers sold a 33.3ac parcel of ground shortly after the auction recently. The property is located at Mayfield, Monasterevin adjacent to the busy Junction 14 on the M7.
The sale was held on the lands and bidding opened at €250,000. Three active parties drove the price to €380,000, at which stage the holding was withdrawn and after brief negotiations sold to the highest bidder for an undisclosed sum.
The land is currently all in grass and in several divisions with access off two local roads with natural boundaries and hedgerows throughout.
Meath farm makes €10,000/ac
At an auction held in the carpark of the Potterton premises in Trim, on the site of the old cattle mart, auctioneer Thomas Potterton sold a 23ac Athboy landholding for €235,000 or €10,000/ac.
Located at Woodtown West, 4km from Athboy the property is laid out in one division of permanent pasture and has frontage to a stream running to the rear and road frontage to a cul-de-sac.
On the day there were two strong contenders for the land, a young couple and a local farming family.
Proceedings opened at €170,000 and at €235,000 the holding was put on the market and sold at that price to the young couple.