It’s fair to say that Co Louth has a very small amount of land that comes to the market, especially in the north of the county.

Properties over 20ac in one block in that northern extremity can be difficult to source, and for those that do arrive on the market there is strong and steady demand for them.

Property Partners, Laurence Gunne in Dundalk has one such property which will be going for public auction at the end of March.

The circa-52ac holding at Rathduff and Ballinfull, Dundalk, Co Louth, is described as a “choice agricultural holding” and it extends to 20.93ha or 51.72ac. It is laid out in four convenient-sized divisions.

These divisions are presently in permanent pasture and the land is well fenced. Water is sourced from a good-quality stream that divides the two most-northern divisions. This water supply can be accessed from three of the four divisions.

A non-residential farm, there is no yard. However, there is an 80sq m, storage shed and small animal handling yard at the northern end of the property.

With a number of houses in the locality and almost 900m of road frontage onto two roads, there could be some building potential here but that would be subject to planning permission.

This offering has easy access to local facilities and transport routes. Situated 8km northwest of Dundalk, this property can be reached by turning off the N53 road between Dundalk and Castleblaney at Hackballscross and is located 2.5km north of the village. Carrickmacross and Newry are also within 20km of this property and there is a vast agricultural hinterland in between. It also has good access to the M1 motorway at junction 17.

Given its location in a strong agricultural area, a holding of this size and quality is sure to be attractive to people in the vicinity for use as a standalone grazing block or as an out-farm addition to an existing property.

Demand expected

Speaking on the property, auctioneer Stephen Gunne said:

“With great scope and potential, it is difficult to find a holding of this size in the general north Louth/south Armagh area.

“It’s a grass farm and the land would not have been turned over for many years – yet there is tillage in the area. We’re expecting demand from both the local and northern market. The area would be predominantly dry stock and suckler farming orientated.”

A guide price in the region of €600,000, or €11,600/ac is given by the agents. The auction is scheduled for 31 March. Further details on the auction are available through Stephen Gunne in Property Partners Laurence Gunne in Dundalk.