The crowd overflowed from the auction room to the corridors of the Park Hotel, Dungarvan, on Friday 24 October such was the interest in the public auction of a 175ac residential farm at Shanakill, Aglish, Co Waterford.

"You can’t beat a traditional public auction of a farm in a packed room with steamed up windows," said auctioneer Eamonn Spratt, who conducted the sale.

"This auction was spirit and style that my father Donal and grandfather Eddie would have carried out since the firm commenced in 1938 and it underlines the demand for farms of this scale in the west Waterford catchment area."

Listed with joint agents Collins O’Meara from Fermoy and REA Spratt, Dungarvan, the pre-sale interest translated into bids once proceedings got under way.

Bids were taken on lot 1 - 67ac with a two-story farmhouse and old farm buildings - and on lot 2, which consisted of 108ac of primarily grassland, with 20ac of commercial forestry. After four rounds of bidding, they reached €1.71m.

A farm of this size was always sure to draw interest and this became very evident early on as there was an opening bid of €2.1m placed on lot 3, the entire.

Following a recess and instructions from the executor, lots 1 and 2 were withdrawn and the auctioneer was instructed to proceed with lot 3.

A few more rounds of bidding saw it go reach €2.3m and instructions were received from the executors to put it on the market before the gavel fell at €2.525m.

The farm was purchased in trust for a client by a Cork-based solicitor.

This holding, located a short distance from Aglish village, is all on one block and the lands were predominantly good quality. The 156sq metre dwelling and yard offered plenty of potential.

A dairy farm in its previous life, the infrastructure remains and, while dated, it is functional. There were also 58.33 BISS entitlements included in the sale.