Meath family closes property chapter after 40 years

A well-known Co Meath farming family has finally closed the chapter on a land sale after almost 40 years. Last week Bartle Clarke of Hurdlestown, Kells, emerged as the top bidder at an auction for Teltown House and 150 acres along the northern boundary of the Blackwater river. Almost 40 years ago his father, the late Maurice Clarke, chased the same farm, but lost it under the hammer for a mere £100. The selling price then was £25,600. This time around the figure was £1.38 million (€1.75m). The Clarke family have overlooked Teltown from their home on the Kells-Navan road. Now at last Bartle and his wife RenΘe will be able to enjoy the historic residence and the farm, once the site of the Tailteann Games - the early medieval equivalent of the Olympics.