News
Galway’s farm prices fall sharply in last year
The price of farmland in the West fell by nearly a quarter last year as compared to 2013, according to the results of a sales survey carried out by leading estate agents Ganly Walters.
Land prices in the West and North-West regions fell by 22.6% in 2014 with an average price per acre of €6,622 achieved over the course of last year, compared to €8,557 in 2013.
The biggest drop in land prices came in the 50 to 99 acre farm size categories, down from €9,772 per acre in 2013 to €5,005 an acre in 2014.
By contrast, land in the smaller parcel category of 20 to 49 acres enjoyed quite a lively trade with an average price of €7,964 last year, up nearly €1,500 on the 2013 price of €6,487.
Three land sales across the region in the 100 to 199 acre category made an average price per acre of €5,824 in 2014, up 16% on the 2013 figure of €5,022 per acre.
More land though is coming on the market, according to Ganly Walters, with 16,849 acres changing hands in 2014, a 25.4% increase on the volume of sales in 2013.
Robert Ganly, Managing Director of Ganly Walters, said that despite the drop in prices last year as compared to 2013, the average price was still 23% above ‘the trough’ of €5,386 per acre in 2010 during the height of the financial collapse.
He told The Connacht Tribune that he expected land prices to increase by 10% across the West of Ireland in 2015, but he added that farmland still was good value in region.
“There are a lot of part-time farmers in the West of Ireland and I would expect a price increase in the region of 10% in the coming year.
“The average price paid across the whole country for farmland in 2014 was €10,526, a slight increase in the national figure from 2013.
“Nationally the 2014 average is 20% above the trough of €8,667 per acre recorded in 2010, but is still as much as 38.4% below the peak price of €17,081 per acre recorded in 2008,” said Robert Ganly.
The survey also showed a massive difference in land prices across the western and north-western region as compared to farmland prices in the Dublin/Kildare/Wicklow region where the average price per acre was €14,064 in 2014.
According to Robert Ganly, signs of price stability in different regions including the West and Midlands were good news for farmers planning to expand over the coming years.
“At a time of uncertainty in the beef and dairy sectors, stable land prices can provide some assurance to those farmers seeking land in order to attain productivity increases,” said Robert Ganly.
The West/North-West region in the farmland price survey included counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal and Clare.
Ganly Walters said that the land price survey was based on the prices disclosed for 212 farmland sales totalling 14,241 acres across the country both by auction and private treaty.
A further 2,613 acres that changed hands at undisclosed prices was factored into the figures at ‘the average disclosed price’, bringing the total estimated value of the national farmland sales in 2014 at €177.3 million.
Last year, Ganly Walters handled the sale of Tulira Castle in Ardrahan that carried a price tag of €6.5 million when advertised – the final sale price wasn’t revealed.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
