I farm: “125 acres of mountain land, half of which is commonage, all of which is disadvantaged. I also have a few acres of lowland under traditional hay meadow.”

Sheep: “I keep 75 Cheviot ewes and lambs. I also have four ponies as part of a re-wilding project. They’re hardy and have Connemara blood in them. When I inherited the sheep flock, it was 15 years old, all horned mountain sheep. I changed to white-faced sheep.”

Lambing: “Lambing starts at the end of February, beginning of March. I bring them down from the mountain to fields closer to the house”

Breeding: “I use a ram for breeding. I get a new ram every second year. I keep ewe lambs for breeding and sell the ram lambs at Ballina Mart.”

Expansion: “Given that so much of my land is commonage, increasing the sheep flock [isn’t really an option]. I’d also rather keep the flock at a smaller, healthier number than increase numbers.”

Haylage: “I make my own haylage and make my own hay, depending on the weather. I get a contractor in to cut it, I turn it and then they come back to bale it.”

Tractor: “I have a Ferguson 20 from 1951; it works. The lanes are too small to bring bigger machinery up here. It’s one of the disadvantages of being this remote.”

Diversification: “I keep seven colonies of bees and I also have a tree nursery of native trees. I wanted diversification on my farm so that all my eggs aren’t in one basket.”

Quotable quote: “I grew up in South Africa, my parents are both Irish, and I took over the farm in 1999. I did it as a single parent with my daughter Skye. She’s starting college in Pallaskenry in September.”