At first glance, a 259-acre farm available for lease in west Cork might get dairy farmers very excited at the prospect.

The prospect of milking cows on hill ground that rises to over 1,400 feet may see that interest wane.

Available for a five-year lease with Hodnett Forde Property Services, Clonakilty, the land at Cullinagh, Dunmanway, comprises mostly of hill ground, with about 25 acres of improved pasture grazing.

There is use of a yard and this has good sheep and cattle handling facilities, but there is no winter accommodation on the property.

Different land

Farms of this acreage are rare on low land, but are more commonplace among the higher hills west of Dunmanway.

This farm is a bit different to the type of land that usually comes up for lease in west Cork, but auctioneer John Hodnett reported plenty of interest so far.

“We’ve let hill ground in the past, but this would certainly be one of the biggest ones.

"There’s been strong interest so far, including from outside the county bounds. There’s state-of-the-art sheep fencing, so it’s likely to appeal to hill farmers.”

There are entitlements with the farm, but these are to be returned to the land owner as part of the lease agreement.

As the crow flies, this farm is within 5km of the Cousane Gap and is on the southeast-facing slopes just outside of the Mealagh Valley.

It is within 15 minutes’ drive from Dunmanway town, 10km north of Drimoleage and is 20km east of Bantry.

The expected lease for this land is in the region of €10,000 to €12,000/year.