60ac in the Little Bare Hills of Offaly for €13,000/ac
Ac60ac grass farm on the outskirts of Tullamore in Co Offaly and guided by private treaty at €13,000/ac is sure to catch the eyes of a range of customers.
What caught my eye was the townland name of Meelaghans. When Philip Byrne of selling agents Coonans forwarded me the information I presumed ‘Meelaghan’ was a family name rather than a placename, but on consulting PW Joyce, the oracle of Irish placenames, it appears the name comes from the Irish ‘maolachán’ which translates as ‘little bare hills’.
This in turn comes from ‘maol’ the word for bare or bald. Versions of the placename are also found at Milligan in Monaghan and Milligans in Fermanagh.
It is unusual to find a hill of any kind around Tullamore, even those of the little bare variety, but then Tullamore itself translates as ‘the little hillock’. I suppose one man’s lump is another man’s mountain.
Anyway, the farm at Meelaghans consists of 60.2ac of prime quality lands laid out in two fields, all in grass and watered by a natural stream, while mains water is also available. It is bounded on one side by the Dublin-Galway railway line.
There are no buildings on the property but there is a slabbed hardcore area that could be used for silage storage or could also form the basis of a farmyard.
Given its location the auctioneer believes the property has site potential for a one-off dwelling. It is in a good location near Tullamore and 15km from the M6 at junction 5, Kilbeggan.
According to Mr Byrne the place has great potential for investors or for farmers looking for additional land. It would also make a substantial part-time farm.
27.5ac of ancient Meath farmland
In Meath, Coonans are handling the sale of a 27.5ac farm at Collierstown, Skryne near Tara.
The farm comes to auction next month with a guide price in excess of €350,000.
Located west of the village of Skryne, 10km south-east of Navan and 7km north of Dunshaughlin, the property is accessed off the R147.
It is on the Skryne side of the Gabhra valley between the hills of Tara and Skryne, where some of the most ancient farmland in Ireland is found — some claim it has been farmed for 10,000 years.
Even after ten millennia of farming the land at Collierstown is showing no signs of wear and tear and is described by Philip Byrne as good-quality free-draining ground laid out in five divisions.
Currently in grass it could be suitable for tillage.
And while it has limited road access, it may be possible to get planning for a residence on it.
The strongest interest is expected from farmers looking to extend their holdings, while investors with an eye to longer-term developments cannot be excluded.
Perhaps a buyer on a white horse looking for a part-time smallholding in this place of myth and legend might win the day.
The auction for the property takes place at the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne at 3pm on March 6.
‘I suppose one man’s lump is another man’s mountain’