A 298-acre tillage and suckler farm hosting the former residence of the Duke of Leinster outside Castledermot, Co Kildare, sold at auction for a total of €4.87m to three buyers. The auction took place in in The Clanard Court Hotel, Dublin Road, Athy, Co Kildare.
Agents handling the sale of the stunning property were Callum Bain of Colliers International and John Dawson of REA Dawson. Speaking after the auction, Dawson told Irish Country Living that the three buyers were local, with the second and third lot bought by the same buyer. While the farm was purchased in individual lots, there was interest in the entire, with one bidder placing a bid up to €4.45m or almost €15,000/ac before it was withdrawn.
The farm
Situated in Prumplestown, the farm is located about 2km outside Castledermot in Kildare. It consists of a super Georgian period residence, a courtyard, a spacious farmyard, numerous farm buildings and almost 300 acres of top-quality south Kildare land. Of these 300 acres, circa 200 acres are in tillage, with the remainder in permanent pasture.
Lot one
Acres: 137
Opening bid: €1.5m
Selling price: €2.05m
Bidders: Three
Buyer: Local couple in a farming business believed to be involved with exports
This lot also contained the residence and an extensive farmyard. The 137 acres of land in this lot is all in one block and surrounds the house. The majority of the grassland on this farm is in this package. With 50 acres set out in winter and spring crops, the remaining 86 acres are in grass.
Lot two
Acres: 62.5
Opening bid: €700,000 or €11,250/ac
Selling price: €1.1m or €17,600/ac.
Bidders: Two
Buyer: Paddy Jordan, auctioneer, bought in trust for a local farmer
This is located on the east of the M9, north of junction four on the Castledermot side of the Castldermot/Carlow road. It is also in one division. This package totals almost 62 acres of land, again mostly in winter and spring crops.
Lot three
Acres: 26.4
Opening bid: €300,000 or €11,400/ac
Selling price: €420,000 or €15,900/ac
Bidders: Two
Buyer: Paddy Jordan, auctioneer, bought in trust for a local farmer
This is the smallest of all the five lots. The total acreage here comes to almost 26 acres and is in two separate fields. The first of these fields is across the N9 from lot one, two and four. It is in one block and is mostly in grass and the crop here is in winter crop.
Lot four
Acres: 72.4
Opening bid: €700,000 or €9,700/ac
Selling price: €1.3m or €18,000/ac
Bidders: Three
Buyer: Farmer
Lot four is located across the road from the lot one. This comprises of around 72 acres and is currently in winter wheat. This lot is not just in one block but it is in one field. Perfectly square, it is ideal for tillage.
History
Built in the mid-19th century, the house was purchased by the Wright family in 1897, whose descendants are the present owners. A farming dynasty, the family quickly achieved acclaim for their purebred championship Shorthorns, wining at the Spring Show in the Royal Dublin Society on numerous occasions.
Up to the present day, the farm has been leased for a number of years to a tillage and suckler farmer. It has been kept in super condition and farmed to the highest standards. The final selling price exceeded the original guide price, which was €4.5m or just over €15,000/ac.