€2.5m paid for 105ac south Meath farm

Rathfeigh grazing or tillage holding comes with a big Georgian-style country house and dated outbuildings

Early auction results are already putting last year’s prices in the ha’penny place, with up to €26,000/ac paid for land.

A 105ac farm at Rathfeigh near Slane in Co Meath made €2.5m or almost €24,000/ac when it sold under the hammer of Smith Harrington.

Situated 2.6km from Rathfeigh Cross and about 10km from Slane, the farm includes a 2,539 sq ft traditional country house of Georgian design in habitable condition.

The dated outbuildings include a five-column hay shed.

Laid out in one block, the lands slope down towards the River Hurley and are suitable for both grazing and tillage. They are leased until the end of 2025.

At a lively auction with six bidders, auctioneer John Brendan Harrington offered the property in two lots and as an entire.

The first lot consisted of the house and yard on 3.8ac and this was bid to €550,000. The second, consisting of c100ac, was bid to €1.3m, and matters took off when the entire was put to the floor, opening at €1.95m.

Two bidders remained in contention down the home stretch after the place was put on the market at €2m. It eventually sold to a local businessman for €2.5m.

€26,000/ac paid for Laois parcel

A 13.5ac roadside field of versatile ground at Ballacolla, Co Laois made €26,000/ac when sold at auction by Joe Coogan.

Suitable for grass or tillage, the land attracted lively local attention and three bidders took to the fray when proceedings opened at €200,000.

Two bidders remained standing at €250,000 and were still there when the property was put on the market at €325,000.

It sold at €346,000 to an agent acting for a buyer believed to be a local farmer.

The underbidder was a local dairy farmer.

An adjoining dairy farmer won the day when Mr Coogan sold a 24ac grass holding at Seven Sisters, Johnstown, Co Kilkenny for €470,000 or over €19,500/ac.

The property has good road frontage and came with a small, dated yard with a three-column, round-roof shed with lean-to.

At auction the property attracted two bidders when it opened at €300,000. It climbed in increments of €20,000 and €30,000 until it reached €470,000 when it was put on the market and sold at that.

Cleared forestry land in Kildare

In Kildare Jordan auctioneers sold one of two parcels of cleared forestry lands at Monasterevin and Donore.

A parcel of 106ac sold after auction, while the other extending to 64ac is being sold by private treaty.

The land was originally bought 19 years ago by two businessmen who planted it independently without seeking grants and cleared it of trees late last year.

The 106ac portion at Inchacooley near Monasterevin was farmed for Christmas trees that were cleared in December without replanting conditions.

This section was bid to €460,000 by three bidders and withdrawn at that. It was subsequently sold for a higher price to the highest bidder, a farmer and businessman.

The 64ac parcel at Oldtown, Donore, Naas, also cleared of Christmas trees was withdrawn after one bid of €250,000 and is now for sale by private treaty.