THE IRISH Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) is set to hold a national raffle for a €200,000 home after the property failed to attract a single bid at auction yesterday.
The home in the north Clare spa town of Lisdoonvarna was bequeathed to the charity by Clare GP and dog lover Dr Maura Lernihan, who died in 2007.
The property has been on the market for more than a year with a price initially of €350,000.
On instruction from the charity, auctioneer John Casey put the property up for public auction yesterday with a reserve of €200,000. However, only three people turned up in Ennistymon for the auction. Mr Casey said Dr Lernihan’s surgery and home was “a lovely property on a nice site with enormous potential”. However, his glowing review didn’t stir the three men present. Bidding started at the reserve and quickly went down to €170,000.
Chief executive of the ISPCA Noel Griffin said last night: “We have a strong moral obligation to Dr Lernihan not to sell it cheaply.”
