Last October, a 168-acre farm near Rathconnor in Roscommon sold under the hammer for a comprehensive €1.8m or €10,700/ac, albeit with the help of some top-quality farm buildings. The purchaser was a dairy farmer from Leinster.

It has been a trend in Roscommon that farmers from outside the county are active in the land market. For smaller holdings, Leitrim farmers are certainly having an impact in the market here.

For larger, better-quality holdings, farmers from around Ireland are active – in enquires if nothing else. The reason for this is that farmers know that they can obtain large blocks of good-quality ground for a cheaper price than if they were to do so in certain parts of Leinster and Munster.

Frequently, auctioneers in the county would receive enquiries for large blocks of land from as far away as Cork and Kilkenny. In the majority of instances, it is dairy farmers seeking these large swaths of land.

Rathconnor wasn’t the only large sale in the county in 2018. Circa 126 acres sold in Gorteenclough and Cooramore for €680,000 or almost €5,400/ac and a 90-acre block sold in Clooncoose south for €465,000 or €5,160/ac. Large farms tend to sell in the county.

The agent who handled the sale in Rathconnor is the same agent handling the sale of the latest large farm to come to the market in Roscommon. John Earley of Property Partners Earley has introduced 166 acres of good ground to the market in the last month. The farm is located across the townlands of Highlake, Newtown Farragher and Rushpark Farragher, circa 1km away from Ballinaheglish. Formerly part of the Franciscan Monastery, the farm is all in one block and is being offered via private treaty.

The farm

The farm is located just outside the village of Ballinaheglish, which is circa 11km from Roscommon town. It is non-residential and consists of 166 acres of land with good-quality farm buildings and a farm yard.

While the farm is more or less in one block, it can be separated in lots for the purpose of the sale. The first of these lots would be the farmyard accompanied by 92 acres of land. This would be by far the most practical lot of the package in so far as the land is connected to the farmyard. This lot is made up of seven large paddocks.

The farm at Ballinaheglish is guided for €1.4m.

The vast majority of this lot would be good-quality land. There are slightly heavier parts in this lot however, including an area towards the rear that would be wetter than the rest and has rushes present.

There is also circa three acres of bogland at the end of the 92 acres. However, the bog and rushy areas are relatively minimal and the farm has real potential.

The second lot is 49 acres and is separated from lot one by a secondary road. This is laid out in four fields and there is currently sheep grazing here. The third lot is 25 acres. It is laid out in two fields and these fields are also situated the opposite side of the public road from the first lot. In the case of each lot, the basics such as water supply and fencing are all adequate and the farmyard is served by all the necessary provisions. All of the land here is currently in grass and is used for grazing. There is sufficient shelter from a number of hedgerows and mature trees throughout the farm.

The farmyard

The yard area is very spacious and contains the farm buildings and a silage pit. The buildings are all good quality and kept in good condition. They include a 16-bay slatted shed (eight bay back-to-back) with a wide feeding passage.

The yard area is very spacious and contains the farm buildings and a silage pit

There is also another eight-bay slatted area as well as an eight-bay machinery shed which is currently used for storage. The sheds also contain a sheep run, a foot bath and a dipping bath.

The offering

The farm is guided at €1.4m and is being offered by private treaty. Interest has been good for the individual lots so far and Earley said that there could be the potential to go for auction.