I farm: “135 acres of lowland, marginal ground. There’s a bit of a mix of good land, with a few bad areas as well. I have a flock of 130 sheep.”

Family: “I’m married to Irene, we have a four-year-old son Gavin. Irene is from the town, so she thinks I’m mad. Gavin adores the sheep, he’s already talking about the lambs.”

Breeds: “Most of my sheep are Hiltex ewes, which are a cross between Mayo Blackface Mountain ewes and Texels. I also have Cheviot and Mayo Blackface crosses. There are 20 full Mayo Blackface Mountain sheep. One of my rams is a Texel and the other is a Rouge.”

Scanning: “I have a business scanning ewes. I’ve always had an interest in it. I bought the scanner from BCF and did the course through them as well. It takes a lot of practice because no two ewes are the same. I used to go to bed seeing lambs when I closed my eyes after spending the day training.”

Lambs: “There are multiples everywhere. I scanned 125 of my own sheep and 74 had couples, three sets of triples and the rest were singles. It’s a good year for sheep.”

Favourite: “I grew up on a suckler farm, but I prefer sheep. They’re very suited to this area of Ireland. I bought 10 ewes in 2009, nine of them lambed and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

This week: “I’ve been fluke dosing and mineral dosing. I’m also separating the couples from the singles. Each flock will get a silage bale, but the sheep expecting couples will get added meal. I’m also preparing the sand arena for lambing, it used to be for a pony, but I fill it with wood chips. Only the sick ones go in the shed.

Interests: ”I really enjoy a game of pool to unwind and in the summer I enjoy fishing for brown trout in Lough Mask.”

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