101-acre farm with multiple assets has €2 million price tag

A large zone stretching from East Cork into the edges of West Waterford is blessed by a lot of excellent-quality and highly productive land.

It’s suitable for all disciplines in the agricultural spectrum, including that of the equestrian.

A large farm holding near the village of Conna, close to the Cork-Waterford border, is as splendid an example of that farming tradition as you can find anywhere.

The 101-acres Aghern House property comes complete with a restored Georgian-era house, magnificent ancient castle ruins, and equestrian facilities in the cradle of National Hunt racing. It also happens to have lots of superb land.

According to selling agent Kieran O’Brien (of O’Brien Auctioneers based over the border in the town of Tallow), this unique holding has been attracting interest from far and wide and from different agricultural sectors.

“If I could afford it myself, I’d buy it,” he readily admits. “There’s stunning stonework throughout the whole property, particularly the archway into the inner castle.”

He adds that interest has come from South Africa and Northern Ireland, as well as from various people involved in the horse industry in Ireland, and numerous enquirers from a local farming background — because “it’s top class limestone land.”

Aghern House is located right beside the seductively sylvan hamlet of Aghern.

It is, the agents describe, “a beautiful 18th century Georgian house standing on circa 101 acres of prime limestone level land in East Cork with about 70 stables.”

The property includes the main residence and a gate lodge, as well as a two-bedroom bungalow suitable for accommodating staff.

The main house was built in 1740. It’s an architectural treasure in its own right, built around a charming courtyard and featuring beautifully restored stonework, with bay windows at the front and southern aspects.

Inside, accommodation includes a morning room, front sitting room, dining room, family sitting room, kitchen, garden room, laundry room, pantry and office, as well as a basement.

Upstairs, there are six bedrooms, a library and bathrooms on the first floor.

There is additional accommodation on the second floor in a small apartment with bedroom, sitting room/kitchen, bathroom, and attic room.

The garden room added to the property in recent times is enclosed by the inner courtyard. The current owners have invested time and effort in restoring the main house, with some improvements still continuing.

Next to the house are the remains of Aghern Castle.

Dating to the 14th century, it was built by Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond. The River Bride (a tributary of the Blackwater) flows alongside the property, and there is an old watermill which was used for grinding grain.

The equine facilities are impressive, with over 70 top-class fully fitted stables at the owner’s disposal.

These include two adjoining American barns with 41 stables. One of these barns contains 19 stables, including concrete stalls with sliding doors, a hoist, and a viewing room in the centre.

The other barn has partitions throughout, and an examination room. The rest of the stables are housed in the two courtyards and other stone stable blocks.

It is a lot of property in one bite, which will be a dream come true for the right kind of client, with its rare combination of treasures on one large site, accessed by a tree-lined avenue.

The large tracts of top-class land are a strong lure in their own right, though, and Kieran says that the owners haven’t entirely ruled out the possibility of splitting the property, if the demand so dictates.

The price expectation is €2,000,000. Given what’s on offer, it’s a fair expectation.

However, such a property only comes along once in a while, and its final value is likely to be just as unique.