A compact 25ac farm with a traditional Irish farmhouse is on the market in Co Laois. Located at Raggetstown, near Ballinakill, the holding will be auctioned by Hennessy Auctioneers.

This property would suit a buyer looking for a small residential holding on which to start a farming enterprise. It could also be of interest to a young person taking over a family farm and in need of a house to live in.

Situated 1.5km from Ballinakill and 4km from Abbeyleix, the holding is in a good location on a main road without being excessively busy. It’s convenient for day-to-day family needs, including a primary school and Heywood Community School in Ballinakill.

The area holds plenty of interest. The farm is close to the well-known Heywood Gardens, built in the 1700s with great labour and cost, and now maintained by the OPW. Here there are walks on which you can view the gardens, trees, and pond with its elaborate fountain and striking follies. There was a big house but it burned down in the 1950s. These gardens attract visitors from home and abroad.

The house and yard are together and beside the road.

Enterprises

The land at the Raggetstown holding is in one unit but divided by the public road. There is c19ac on one side with the house and yard, and c6ac on the other. The land is divided into seven main fields and is all in grass. It’s good quality ground suited for a variety of enterprises.

The house and yard are situated together quite centrally on the farm and beside the road. Each has its own entrance. The two-storey house requires modernisation, but is in good general condition.

Downstairs it has a kitchen, sitting room, dining room – both with an open fireplace – and a utility room. There is a toilet with a shower. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and the family bathroom. The house has oil central heating, a septic tank and mains water. Original features, such as the sloped ceilings upstairs, give the house plenty of character.

Plain lawn

Outside, there is a concrete yard area, the tarmac front driveway and a number of storage sheds. There are three separate garden areas to the front, all in plain lawn.

The yard is to the side of the house. It has a two-bay round-roofed hayshed with a lean-to to the side and another big lean-to running along one gable end. The shed is in good working condition.

The farm will be offered in an online auction on Thursday, 2 May at 3pm, on the LSL platform, in lots. The guide price is €550,000. The lots are as follows:

Lot 1 – the farmhouse and yard on c2.4ac with a guide price of €250,000.

Lot 2 – c17ac, guided at €230,000.

Lot 3 – c6ac across the road, guided at €70,000.

Lot 4 – the house on its c2.4ac plus the main, 17ac block of land, guided at €480,000.

Lot 5 – The entire, with a guide price of €550,000.

The 25ac farm at Raggetstown, Co Laois is divided by the public road.