It’s not every day that the tension and excitement of a farm sale is captured for posterity. However, last Friday was an exception.

The RTE programme Ear To The Ground was on hand to record the drama, as two dairy farmers went head to head for a 235ac farm near the Kilkenny village of Thomastown.

The property sold for €3.1m, which works out at €13,191/ac. The sale price was described by auctioneer Joseph Coogan as a “fantastic outcome”.

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Two dairy farming operations from the general area slugged it out once the property was put on the market at €2.8m, after it was initially offered in lots.

The property is believed to have been bought by a family from Dunnamaggin in south Kilkenny, who have a sizeable dairy operation. The under-bidders are understood to be well-known dairy and beef farmers from Callan.

Location

The farm is located around a mile outside the village of Thomastown, in the townland of Columbcille, and is primarily in grass.

While around 30ac are planted, there are 180ac of what Coogan described as good grazing ground, as well as a further 20ac where the underlying rock comes to the surface.

The property includes an old two-storey house, which is in need of updating. The holding also has significant frontage on to the Graiguenamanagh road.

The farmyard, which includes three round-roof sheds with lean-tos, will need to be revamped and modernised.

Leased

The farm has been leased for a number of years and was described by Coogan as “having great potential”, but in need of “some work”.

Coogan said he was “absolutely delighted” with the sale price.

“To get over €13,000/ac for a block of land like that is good going. It was not a simple sale,” he said.

He maintained that the manner in which the auction developed illustrated the level of demand for ground that exists in the dairy sector at the moment.

The farm was sold by the Maher family.