Prime Offaly farm up for auction in Tullamore next month
Kilclare Estate farm will go under the hammer by public auction in Tullamore next month.
James L Murtagh Auctioneers is pleased to bring for sale 221 acres at Kilclare, Durrow, between Clara in Offaly and Kilbeggan in Westmeath. This prime farm is suitable for a range of agricultural enterprises and can be bought as an entire or in lots.
Lot one comprises of a residence and farmyard with 23 acres. Lot 2 is circa 96 acres, while Lot 3 is 103 acres. Lot four is the entire holding of 221 acres.
Originally owned by the Armstrong family, the property contains the remains of Belview House, the family home. The Armstrongs made their fortune in linen production from the mid-1700s to the early part of the 19th century. Linen was the most lucrative business in the country at the time accounting for fifty per cent of Ireland's total exports.
The house was built in the second half of the 18th century and, even in dereliction, it is testament to the prosperity of the Armstrongs. Among the many built features are two large walled enclosures or walled gardens and a limestone tower, a folly in the form of a monastic round tower built in 1817 on an esker with commanding views of the surrounding countryside.
The estate was sold and divided in 1912 under the 1909 Land Act. The house was subsequently abandoned and is now in ruins.
The farm is 4km from Clara, 5km from Kilbeggan, 11km from Tullamore and close to the M6 Galway to Dublin motorway. A bell-shaped entrance with wrought-iron gates opens to a short avenue leading to the farmyard.
The 221 acres of ground is all in one rectangular block bounded by the Brosna River at one side and by a local road at the other where an old dry-stone wall runs the length of the boundary.
The land is in old pasture stretching out over a series of hillocks and vales of free-draining ground that is firm underfoot and suitable for all types of modern machinery. An esker, on which the round tower is located, crosses part of the holding and is evidence of strong sand and gravel deposits.
The land is undoubtedly fertile with an abundance of whitethorn hedging and while it was farmed extensively in more recent times it is in great heart and is certainly a powerful farm of land suitable for tillage, beef, equestrian or dairy. A large parcel of tillage ground belonging to the farm across the road testifies to the arable nature of the ground. The large fields and the unitary nature of the farm make it ideal for dairy farming.
Lot 2 comprises of a parcel of 95.7ac of grassland and a portion of old woodland has road and river frontage, which rom Tullamore head northwest on Patrick St towards Brides Lane, at the roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Kilbride street and continue onto Clara Road, continue straight through the next roundabout onto the R420 and stay on this road for approx. 2 to 3km. Turn right and continue for 550m and then turn left onto the L2005 and continue for approx. 2km and the lands will be clearly identified by our James L. Murtagh sales boards.
The auction takes place at Tullamore Court Hotel, and online on the LSL platform at 3.30pm on Friday, July 7 next.