North Kerry grassland will surely attract strong interest
The rural areas of North Kerry have become farmland property hot spots in recent decades for a variety of reasons.
In the first place, there is plenty of good quality land about. Much of this part of the world is dominated by the dairying industry, and that trend has continued through the history of the Kerry Co-operative movement, its growth and eventual metamorphosis into the large multinational Kerry Group.
Kerry Group is central to another reason why good quality land in large quantities tends to fetch a premium price when put on the market.
The spin-off from the privatisation and public listing of Kerry Group benefited those who worked hard to grow the company to that point.
Many of these shareholders and their families are still in the area, and actively pursuing farmland investment opportunities as they arise.
It will be interesting, therefore, to see the level of interest in a newly-listed farm in North Kerry.
The 58-acre holding is located near the village of Duagh, in the townland of Springmount, approximately 9km from Tralee.
According to selling agent Tom Dillon of Listowel-based Dillon-Prendiville, the non-residential holding is in a very convenient location on the periphery of Duagh village.
Described as an “impressive property”, it is in a number of fields used for grazing and silage production.
“Originally, the lands were those of Duagh House, which was developed in 1965,” says Tom. “Today, there’s still a cut-stone coach house-stable, which enjoys an independent electricity supply.”
The coach house can be accessed along the gated avenue, lined with mature trees. It’s a building that offers plenty of potential for the buyer, with the possibility of conversion to a number of different uses, as a dwelling, a rental property, or some other commercial use.
There are other buildings on the holding. These include a former milking parlour, a circular yard with a cattle crush, a round-roofed cubicle house with feeding barrier and concrete yard, and a seven-bay 53-unit cubicle house with electric scrapers, calf enclosures, feeding barrier, and slurry pit adjacent.
“This farm was up for sale last year,” says Tom.
It was in two lots, and we’ve sold 24 acres from it, leaving us with the 58 acres for sale, along with the yard and coach house of the former Duagh House. That was demolished some years ago.
There are two main access points to the farm. The first one is direct from the public road to the farm yard area.
The second entrance is over a right of way to the tree-lined avenue and the area where the coach house is.
The land, says Tom, is of very good quality. “It’s all good quality grassland, and part of the boundary is demarcated by the River Feale.”
The essential services are in place, he says.
“It’s serviced by mains water and electricity and there are two electric meters, one to the yard and one to the old coach house.”
The property has only just gone onto the market, but the auctioneer is expecting interest to be brisk. “It’s in a good area. In North Kerry, there would be a high concentration of dairy farming in the area so we’d be optimistic in terms of gaining interest in the property.” Tom also cites the factor of the presence of the aforementioned Kerry Group shares. They are, he says, the “backbone of any land purchase” in Kerry.
The farm comes with a total of 22 entitlements; each worth €270 per annum.
The guide of €480,000 (€8,300/acre) would appear to be eminently achievable.
