Business
Period residence set on 80 acres of top-quality land
One of the most impressive farms to come on the market in Galway is an 80 acre residential holding with extensive modern farm buildings, a period house and guest maisonette.
Feaghmore House and lands are located between Eyrecourt and Portumna which is to be sold by auction with an Advised Minimum Value of €1m.
Home to the renowned Karoola Pedigree Charolais herd for the past 20 years, the lands are described as “exceptional top-quality fattening lands”.
The farm is 2.5 miles from Portumna and 12.5 miles from Ballinasloe. The roadside lands are all in pasture and were very well maintained over the years.
The lands are serviced by an internal roadway and divided into several blocks for easy management the fields have piped water, border hedging and mature boundaries.
Adjacent to the house is a cut-stone maisonette extending to 1,163 sq ft and including a living room, dining room, kitchen, two double bedrooms, toilet and shower.
The equestrian accommodation includes five stables and selection of loose sheds and workshop. The grounds have been tastefully maintained with stepped lawns, border hedging and mature trees.
At auction, the property can be bought as an entire lot or in two lots, with the first including 30 acres the house and farmyard. Across the road, the second lot extends to 48 acres.
“This property ticks all the boxes; top quality, rich fertile lands, modern farmyard facilities, a beautiful comfortable home of character and a private convenient location only 15 minutes off the M6 at Ballinasloe.
“Feaghmore House is what many would consider as the ideal country home. Boasting all the character and charm of a residence of its era, this impressive cut-stone property has been completely and tastefully refurbished by its present owners to enjoy all the comforts and conveniences of any modern home,” said auctioneer Ger O’Toole.
The AMV is €1m. The auction takes place on Thursday, June 11 at 3pm in Gullane’s Hotel, Ballinasloe.
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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