Fragmentation is often held up as one of the weaknesses of Irish farming, but Ernest Forde of Hodnett Forde Property Services Clonakilty may have the solution in the form of a 214-acre farm in Coolkirky, Riverstick, Co Cork, that has recently come on the market.

The farm has 208 acres of reseeded grassland and six acres of semi-mature forestry all contained in one block, where you don’t have to cross a public road and there isn’t one overhead power line crossing the land. A local road forms one natural boundary while the river Stick runs at the opposite end of the property.

With 3km of internal farm roadway, top class fencing and water supplied via 1-1/2" piping, the infrastructure on this farm allows for smooth day to day operation.

Access

The property enjoys excellent access and is just a few minutes’ drive north of the village of Riverstick. From there, you’re on the R600 which can get you to Cork airport in 10 minutes or you can be in the centre of Cork city or the tourist town of Kinsale in 15 minutes. The location is of interest to any prospective buyer looking to milk cows on the property as it lies on the border of Bandon Co-op and Dairygold territory.

The yard is located close to the roadside and has accommodation for 200 cattle, contains a number of machinery or multi purpose sheds and offers further scope for development if required

Infrastructure

Fencing is of high standard with sheep wire along much of the bounds ditches. Over 3km of internal roadways service the farm and have been designed to make the farm easy for one person to run.

All paddocks with the exception of one five-acre paddock have multiple entry points off the roadway. There is a cattle handling facility which has easy access to all the farm located in the centre of the property. Water is supplied via two pipelines of 1.5in piping with this teed off with 1in piping to each trough.

The yard is located close to the roadside and has 16,000 sqft of shed space including accommodation for 200 cattle in the form of slatted and straw-bedded sheds. There are a number of machinery or multipurpose sheds while the old yard has a range of stone outbuildings, including seven loose boxes, calf houses and a workshop.

There is still plenty scope for further development if the purchaser so wished. Also situated in the yard are the old remains of Coolkirky house and this could offer another option to the more adventurous buyer.

There is accommodation in place for 200 cattle in a variety of sheds.

Dwelling

The current residence is a functional modern, three-bedroom bungalow with a living room, kitchen/dining room, three bedrooms – one of which is an en-suite master bedroom – and a bathroom. A new kitchen has been installed in recent years. The house is a short distance from the yard.

The residence is a three-bedroom bungalow.

The property has sparked a lot of enquiries already. It is guided in the region of €12,000/-€15,000/ac. It is in an area with a strong mixed farming tradition where beef and tillage would have a strong presence and indeed the farm itself has both enterprises in its heritage. With housing for 200 cattle and feed storage, the farm has excellent infrastructure. CL