Over 150 people packed into the Anner Hotel, Thurles, for last week’s auction of a 217-acre residential farm situated at Fortwilliam House, Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary. This was the biggest farm to be offered for sale in Tipperary so far this year and, consequently, generated a plethora of local passing interest with many turning up just to soak up the atmosphere. Although the combination of the lots and the entire were neck and neck for most of the auction, it was the entire that won out by about €40,000 and was knocked down at €2.2m.

Selling agent Thomas V Ryan, Thurles, initially offered the property in a range of lots which attracted no less than 10 active bidders. These included Fortwilliam House on circa six acres, which was bid to €220,000; 94.86 acres fetched €770,000; 90 acres peaked at €670,000; 12.6 acres of landlocked ground went to €120,000; 14 acres with laneway access was making a cracking price of €210,000 or €15,000/acre; while a combination of the 94.86 acres and the 12.6 acres (totalling 107.4 acres) was bid to €1,060,000.

After initially opening at €1,620,000, the sole bidder on the entire had to continuously bid against himself in order to keep his foot in against the lots. His persistency eventually paid off when the hammer later fell at €2.2m or €10,100/acre, including the house. The property was bought in trust by a solicitor acting on behalf of an undisclosed client.

Although there were a few bidders from other counties in the room, it’s understood that all the frontrunners in the lots were relatively local.

Used over a long number of years to accommodate a drystock enterprise, Fortwilliam is set out in one big expansive 217-acre block.

Described as “one of the finest holdings offered for sale in the area in recent years”, much of the land is laid out in big open sprawling fields that characterised by mature trees and level plains.

A protected structure dating back to the 1920s, Fortwilliam House extends to over 6,000 sq ft, incorporating no less than 22 rooms in total. While retaining many of the period features such as sash windows, shutters, corbels, coving and ceiling centrepieces, the house would benefit from some modernisation and upgrading.

Outside, there are a range of attractive stone outbuildings and arches, a six-bay hayshed, a walled garden, plenty of mature beech trees, natural pond and a 4.5-acre lawn. The property was guided in excess of €2m prior to auction. CL