Property auctioneering is a cornerstone of Ireland’s real estate market, enabling fast, transparent sales across residential, commercial, and agricultural sectors. The Property Services Regulatory Authority has more than 6,000 licensed professionals who ensure transactions are expertly managed and legally compliant.
Among them is Hegarty Properties Estate Agents, led by Adrianna Hegarty, whose early life on a Monaghan farm near the border laid the foundation for her career.
“My father and brothers are cattle dealers – they had beef and sheep. I was used to agricultural life, and my mother had turkeys and grew her own vegetables. Back then, all hands were needed on the farm – and girls were treated the same as the boys,” says Adrianna.
Outside the farm, Adrianna always had an eye for business – her first job was working in an auctioneer’s office when she left school. She also started clerking in the mart as her brothers and father came into the office to sell cattle.
“Because they were cattle dealers, everyone knew me, and because we lived on the border, a lot of farmers would be coming and going through our yard. It was funny when I started in Gunne Auctioneers, the women couldn’t believe how all these men knew me,” she says.
Reflecting on those days, Adrianna remembers Wednesday as a big day out for farmers in Monaghan – which included her father – as the cattle mart was held.
“I remember him at the mirror wearing his tie, shaving, getting all dressed up because that was their social event. They went to the mart and then to the pub for a drink. To get a lift home, I had to go and wait in the pub. I would have been well used to hearing everything in the house,” she says.
During her time clerking in the mart, Adrianna got good training from Nancy Donlon, who ran the office. This gave her a good grounding, not just in selling cattle but in selling land.
“We were selling houses, land and new developments and were the biggest office in town. The decision was made to open a new office in Ballsbridge. I wanted to go to Dublin, and it was starting from the ground up. It was a great experience – I was there for the setting up of staff and trying to get business in,” says Adrianna.
Adrianna and her daughter Niamh.
Gaining experience
Her career advanced with Sherry Fitzgerald and then Jackson Stops & McCabe in Dublin, giving her a wide range of experience in residential property with blue-chip clients.
Still in the capital, Adrianna went on to gain her qualification with the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) and spent four years doing her exams in the evening.
“I worked and studied at the same time, and I was determined to get them. I knew I needed to get the letters after my name to be respected,” she says.
But her experience travelled as she also spent several years abroad. In 1990, she moved to Cyprus as her husband was relocated with Diageo. She gained experience in marketing villas and apartments with the Lordos Property Group.
They then moved to the USA, where Adrianna got her California Real Estate License, and began working on premium properties in the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles.
“We were so flexible, I loved it. We moved to Chicago, and then I got pregnant with my daughter Niamh. I decided I wanted to come home and have the children in Ireland, which Niamh gives me a hard time about now, as she would have had an American passport,” says Adrianna, with a laugh.
Fast forward to 2000, after a few years living in Dublin and London, and the arrival of their son Peadar, it was east Cork that called to them.
“We decided to build a holiday home on the side of a cliff. I was out and about, the children were going to school, and word got out that I was an auctioneer. I was giving people free advice, and I decided to get my licence here,” she explains.
Adrianna decided to put her 20 years of experience to work in property consultancy, and in September 2005, she opened her flagship Hegarty Properties office on Midleton’s main street in Cork.
Adrianna Hegarty, Hegarty Properties, Midleton, Co Cork. \ Donal O' Leary
“When I started, I was a complete blow-in, and people didn’t know me.”
But Adrianna was determined to make her mark. “I got a good camera, took coloured photographs and got people to dress their houses which wasn’t always done at the time. It took a while, but people did listen to me,” she says.
Then the recession hit – which she described as “the worst thing that happened in my career”.
She says, “I didn’t take a wage from the business for two years. I thought I was going to close, but I hammered away at it. I gave back a lot to people during that time, as they couldn’t afford to pay for valuations. But the good karma came back to me,” she says.
Running a property business
When things picked up after the recession, business started to build, and clients were coming back. A standout moment which helped her get back on track, was being the first woman in Munster to sell a farm at auction.
“My neighbour passed away, he had two farms, and in his will, he had outlined that I was to sell his land and do the auction. I had worked with Fintan Gunne in Ballsbridge and knew the lingo used in property sales. To prepare, I went to different auctions, I also attended Toastmasters and Women’s Network Cork,” she says.
On the day of the auction, she walked out to stand on the podium and says “a light came over me”.
“I wasn’t a bit nervous; that was the turning point. Men came up to me afterwards and shook my hand, congratulating me on how it all went. They were very complimentary,” says Adrianna.
My neighbour passed away, he had two farms, and in his will, he had outlined that I was to sell his land and do the auction. I had worked with Fintan Gunne in Ballsbridge and knew the lingo used in property sales. To prepare, I went to different auctions, I also attended Toastmasters and Women’s Network Cork
Over the last number of years, social media has changed the property game and transformed the sector.
Along with that, Adrianna has seen a large increase in admin work with GDPR, and more paperwork because of money laundering.
“Everyone thinks auctioneering is being a good salesperson, but there is so much else. It’s getting the house ready, talking to people, you’re a psychologist as well,” she says.
In the last year, she notes people have become very aware of the limitations in land availability – this has led to increased demand. “The price of land has gone through the roof.
“People are sorry that they didn’t buy it when they thought it was expensive a year or two ago, because it’s even more expensive now. There are a lot of hobby farmers. I put up 4.5ac for sale with no planning, and it went to €230,000, which made over the agricultural value,” she says, adding that “I am selling in Ballycotton and the houses are over €1m each; they have all been bought by people in America.”
Because they are a small business, Hegarty Properties sells everything from local pubs to commercial sites and land. Adrianna’s daughter, Niamh, has joined the business, focusing on the marketing aspect of the company, helping to reach buyers across the globe.
“It’s a relief, in a way, that somebody else is there that’s very keen and wants to grow the business. She’s a hard worker and sees the everyday things and is forward-thinking. With the office and website, she is always looking for improvements.”
A big life lesson Adrianna has learned over the years is, “Never forget who you are and where you came from. Don’t get carried away and be honest, I think it helps build trust with people”.
“There are opportunities in the sector, as there is a shortage of qualified auctioneers. It is a great sector and you can travel with it as well as I have done. It is important to get good training and get in under a good estate agent,” she concludes.
Property auctioneering is a cornerstone of Ireland’s real estate market, enabling fast, transparent sales across residential, commercial, and agricultural sectors. The Property Services Regulatory Authority has more than 6,000 licensed professionals who ensure transactions are expertly managed and legally compliant.
Among them is Hegarty Properties Estate Agents, led by Adrianna Hegarty, whose early life on a Monaghan farm near the border laid the foundation for her career.
“My father and brothers are cattle dealers – they had beef and sheep. I was used to agricultural life, and my mother had turkeys and grew her own vegetables. Back then, all hands were needed on the farm – and girls were treated the same as the boys,” says Adrianna.
Outside the farm, Adrianna always had an eye for business – her first job was working in an auctioneer’s office when she left school. She also started clerking in the mart as her brothers and father came into the office to sell cattle.
“Because they were cattle dealers, everyone knew me, and because we lived on the border, a lot of farmers would be coming and going through our yard. It was funny when I started in Gunne Auctioneers, the women couldn’t believe how all these men knew me,” she says.
Reflecting on those days, Adrianna remembers Wednesday as a big day out for farmers in Monaghan – which included her father – as the cattle mart was held.
“I remember him at the mirror wearing his tie, shaving, getting all dressed up because that was their social event. They went to the mart and then to the pub for a drink. To get a lift home, I had to go and wait in the pub. I would have been well used to hearing everything in the house,” she says.
During her time clerking in the mart, Adrianna got good training from Nancy Donlon, who ran the office. This gave her a good grounding, not just in selling cattle but in selling land.
“We were selling houses, land and new developments and were the biggest office in town. The decision was made to open a new office in Ballsbridge. I wanted to go to Dublin, and it was starting from the ground up. It was a great experience – I was there for the setting up of staff and trying to get business in,” says Adrianna.
Adrianna and her daughter Niamh.
Gaining experience
Her career advanced with Sherry Fitzgerald and then Jackson Stops & McCabe in Dublin, giving her a wide range of experience in residential property with blue-chip clients.
Still in the capital, Adrianna went on to gain her qualification with the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) and spent four years doing her exams in the evening.
“I worked and studied at the same time, and I was determined to get them. I knew I needed to get the letters after my name to be respected,” she says.
But her experience travelled as she also spent several years abroad. In 1990, she moved to Cyprus as her husband was relocated with Diageo. She gained experience in marketing villas and apartments with the Lordos Property Group.
They then moved to the USA, where Adrianna got her California Real Estate License, and began working on premium properties in the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles.
“We were so flexible, I loved it. We moved to Chicago, and then I got pregnant with my daughter Niamh. I decided I wanted to come home and have the children in Ireland, which Niamh gives me a hard time about now, as she would have had an American passport,” says Adrianna, with a laugh.
Fast forward to 2000, after a few years living in Dublin and London, and the arrival of their son Peadar, it was east Cork that called to them.
“We decided to build a holiday home on the side of a cliff. I was out and about, the children were going to school, and word got out that I was an auctioneer. I was giving people free advice, and I decided to get my licence here,” she explains.
Adrianna decided to put her 20 years of experience to work in property consultancy, and in September 2005, she opened her flagship Hegarty Properties office on Midleton’s main street in Cork.
Adrianna Hegarty, Hegarty Properties, Midleton, Co Cork. \ Donal O' Leary
“When I started, I was a complete blow-in, and people didn’t know me.”
But Adrianna was determined to make her mark. “I got a good camera, took coloured photographs and got people to dress their houses which wasn’t always done at the time. It took a while, but people did listen to me,” she says.
Then the recession hit – which she described as “the worst thing that happened in my career”.
She says, “I didn’t take a wage from the business for two years. I thought I was going to close, but I hammered away at it. I gave back a lot to people during that time, as they couldn’t afford to pay for valuations. But the good karma came back to me,” she says.
Running a property business
When things picked up after the recession, business started to build, and clients were coming back. A standout moment which helped her get back on track, was being the first woman in Munster to sell a farm at auction.
“My neighbour passed away, he had two farms, and in his will, he had outlined that I was to sell his land and do the auction. I had worked with Fintan Gunne in Ballsbridge and knew the lingo used in property sales. To prepare, I went to different auctions, I also attended Toastmasters and Women’s Network Cork,” she says.
On the day of the auction, she walked out to stand on the podium and says “a light came over me”.
“I wasn’t a bit nervous; that was the turning point. Men came up to me afterwards and shook my hand, congratulating me on how it all went. They were very complimentary,” says Adrianna.
My neighbour passed away, he had two farms, and in his will, he had outlined that I was to sell his land and do the auction. I had worked with Fintan Gunne in Ballsbridge and knew the lingo used in property sales. To prepare, I went to different auctions, I also attended Toastmasters and Women’s Network Cork
Over the last number of years, social media has changed the property game and transformed the sector.
Along with that, Adrianna has seen a large increase in admin work with GDPR, and more paperwork because of money laundering.
“Everyone thinks auctioneering is being a good salesperson, but there is so much else. It’s getting the house ready, talking to people, you’re a psychologist as well,” she says.
In the last year, she notes people have become very aware of the limitations in land availability – this has led to increased demand. “The price of land has gone through the roof.
“People are sorry that they didn’t buy it when they thought it was expensive a year or two ago, because it’s even more expensive now. There are a lot of hobby farmers. I put up 4.5ac for sale with no planning, and it went to €230,000, which made over the agricultural value,” she says, adding that “I am selling in Ballycotton and the houses are over €1m each; they have all been bought by people in America.”
Because they are a small business, Hegarty Properties sells everything from local pubs to commercial sites and land. Adrianna’s daughter, Niamh, has joined the business, focusing on the marketing aspect of the company, helping to reach buyers across the globe.
“It’s a relief, in a way, that somebody else is there that’s very keen and wants to grow the business. She’s a hard worker and sees the everyday things and is forward-thinking. With the office and website, she is always looking for improvements.”
A big life lesson Adrianna has learned over the years is, “Never forget who you are and where you came from. Don’t get carried away and be honest, I think it helps build trust with people”.
“There are opportunities in the sector, as there is a shortage of qualified auctioneers. It is a great sector and you can travel with it as well as I have done. It is important to get good training and get in under a good estate agent,” she concludes.
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