19ac West Cork holding with derelict house creating a stir

Mixed quality: The 19ac farm at Reenascreena, West Cork is made up of good and marginal land.

The Reenascreena holding includes a derelict house and a haybarn with lean-tos at either side.

Mixed quality: The 19ac farm at Reenascreena, West Cork is made up of good and marginal land.

The Reenascreena holding includes a derelict house and a haybarn with lean-tos at either side.

Mixed quality: The 19ac farm at Reenascreena, West Cork is made up of good and marginal land.

Jim O'Brien

January 08 2023 10:18 AM

The population of rural Ireland increases dramatically for holiday periods, particularly during concentrated holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, when everybody takes a break at the same time.

Auctioneers beyond the Pale often do a nice bit of business at times like this, when returnees are tempted to put their money where their nostalgia is and buy a piece of ‘home ground’.

There was a time location was a crucial consideration when searching for a good job, but it no longer matters as much as it once did for a wide range of occupations.

Much great work is being done by unshaven, unkempt and unmade-up men and women, who make a decent living without getting out of the dressing-gown and slippers.

Clonakilty auctioneer John Hodnett of Hodnett Forde certainly had a target market in mind when he listed a 19ac farm with a derelict farmhouse at Reenascreena, Rosscarberry, on December 22.

It attracted such attention that the West Cork man abandoned his preferred private treaty sales route and put the place up for auction in February with a guide price of €150,000.

The Reenascreena holding includes a derelict house and a haybarn with lean-tos at either side.

Located 1km west of Reenascreena, the farm comes with a derelict farmhouse and has access from a minor country road.

The land is in one block and laid out in a number of fields. According to Mr Hodnett, half of the ground is in decent pasture land and the other in more marginal ground that needs attention. The lands are low-lying, sheltered and securely fenced on all sides.

An old farmhouse on the property should help someone wishing to re-establish the place as a residential holding. The yard consists of dated farm buildings, including a three-column haybarn with lean-tos at either side. Services include mains water and electricity.

“The executor sale has attracted very lively interest since we listed it and we are anticipating a good auction. The price is pitched at a reasonable level and I’m sure it will suit both locals and those coming from further afield,” said Mr Hodnett.

The sale takes place on Thursday, February 16, at 3pm at O’Donovan’s Hotel, Clonakilty, Co Cork.