There is something about Ireland when the sun shines and the grass grows. Travelling along the N52 in Offaly, either side of the road presented some fabulous scenery and quality grassland holdings. Before visiting the property at Eglish, auctioneer handling the sale Gordon Cobbe, of GVM Tullamore, informed Irish Country Living that this was as top-quality an agricultural holding as one could find in the area. On arrival, it was hard to argue with the sentiment. The lush meadows on the roadside of the N52 surround the home, which nestled circa 50m from the main road.

Approaching the home there is a roadway that leads to the farmyard area, located next to the residence. The lands surround both in one compact block, making this package highly attractive to a potential buyer. The guide for the entire sits nicely between €900,000 to €1m and €9,000/ac to €10,000/ac. The quality would suggest that this is reasonable.

The land is located in Eglish, circa seven km from Birr. It is situated on the N52 between Fivealley and Birr.

The land

In total, the land stretches 99 acres and is currently used as a beef and sheep enterprise by the owners. This could easily be converted to a prime dairy farm due to its compact nature, which allows for easy paddocking of the fields. It would be expected that due to the quality of this farm a long grazing season could be achieved annually. It is well fenced for both sheep and cattle.

The land is all laid out in one block, with a number of easily managed divisions. It would be described as relatively flat in nature and is currently in grass.

The land was in tillage in the past and has partially been re-seeded in recent years. With free draining, fertile soils, the land is excellent in nature. Speaking with Cobbe, he explained how he drove every field on this farm in February of this year in a car with ease.

Seeing first-hand the ground in question, it is no surprise. The paddocks are large but can be further sud-divided, depending on the grazing system employed here.

The scenery is spectacular on the farm, with the furthest side of the land facilitating some wonderful views of the Slieve Bloom mountains, with a river to one side of the farm.

The farmyard

The farmyard itself is well thought out, according to Cobbe. Not overly extensive, it is compact and practical, with a separate entrance away from the house. It includes a three-span slatted shed, with an adjoining three-span lean-to with a concrete floor. There is also a three-span, A-roof shed laid out for sheep.

The slatted shed has the ability to hold circa 50 cattle, with the three-span, A-roof shed able to facilitate circa 150 sheep.

The remainder of the yard comprises of a silage slab, stone outbuildings and livestock handling facilities. It is ready to use and kept in very good condition.

The residence

The residence is a traditional-style Georgian home which is set to the front of the farm, with mature gardens to the roadside and outbuildings to the rear. Standing on circa 2,000 sq ft, it is a four-bedroom home. The house is structurally sound and well maintained, but is in need of modernisation. As well as four bedrooms it features a kitchen, sitting room, bathroom, study, nursery and utility. The house has retained its character, with sash windows and shutters on the windows to the front. There is dual-fuel central heating, with the option of oil or solid fuel.

The offering

This package is being offered by private treaty and only in the entire, as Cobbe believes it would be difficult to break up the holding. There has been interest from predominantly locals and one interested party from Northern Ireland. Irish Country Living understands that one offer has been placed on the property already.