A local dairy farmer paid €12,700/acre for a 24-acre parcel of land situated in Kilrush, Freshford, Co Kilkenny, last week.

Bidding for the property opened at €200,000 and quickly moved in €10,000 increments to €260,000, at which stage selling agent Joe Coogan, Castlecomer, declared the land on the market.

But things didn’t stop there and it took a further €45,000 before the hammer finally fell at €305,000 to an adjoining dairy farmer. The underbidder was also a local farmer. Such was the brisk nature of the bidding, that the proceedings were all over within minutes for auctioneer Joe Coogan.

The land, which is three miles from Freshford and six miles from Urlingford, is laid out in two grass fields and comes with some road frontage. It was guided in the region of €250,000 prior to auction.

Meanwhile, the same agent sold a seven-acre field located in Ballyfoyle, Co Kilkenny, for €44,000 at auction last week.

Situated six miles from Castlecomer and three miles from Muckalee, the property is laid out in one seven-acre field, has some road frontage and was bought by a person living about five miles away.