When auctioneer Stephen Barry put the 103-acre farm at Gehanstown, Co Meath on the market in its entirety at €820,000 or just under €8,000/ac, two bidders remained tough.

Three more bids were taken before Barry dropped the hammer at an impressive €835,000 or €8,100/ac.

This opened at €760,000 or almost €6,200/ac before rising to €700,000 or €7,200/ac, again with the help of two bidders

The pre-auction guide of €700,000 or €6,800/ac highlighted the exceptional price achieved by the end of the auction.

Offered in three lots, the third being the entire, the auctioneer put each individual lot to the floor first.

The first package was the house on seven acres. Opening at €40,000, it increased to €58,000 with the help of two bidders.

The second lot was the more substantial of the two, consisting of 97 acres. This opened at €760,000 or almost €6,200/ac before rising to €700,000 or €7,200/ac, again with the help of two bidders.

It was when lot three received an opening bid of €760,000 that the vendors, after a small break, decided to sell in the entire. A businessman with farming interest bought the farm.

The farm

The land here was lauded by Barry as a dry farm with good grass growth.

Laid out in large fields, it is an early farm with loamy soils and a gravel limestone under-bed, ensuring it is free-draining.

Fully fenced and with a water supply, it contains extensive road frontage.

The land is gently undulating and in permanent pasture.

In the words of Barry, the farm is ready when the farmer is. It also contained a traditional one bedroom residence, a kitchen, a sitting room and a bathroom.

The farmyard area is located to the rear and includes a four-bay haybarn and a stock-handling facility.

Prior to auction, local farmers had shown keen interest in the farm and this told on the day.