Arriving at Colm’s house next door, I threw my arms around Jack Hennessy from Co Kildare and I think we both could have cried. Instead we parted and I began, with Colm, to set out our very high class meal – obtained from the local SuperValu of hot chicken, crusty rolls and salad – for a send-off for Jack. We were all busy. Elaine, Colm’s wife, was at a business meeting in Dublin and I had [cancer] treatment that morning. Nevertheless, I had a hot apple tart that I knew Jack loved – he had been with us for over five years.

During that time, he has grown into a fine competent young man. He started out doing some evening milkings and weekend cover for Colm on the leased farm while he was studying agriculture in MTU and Clonakilty Ag College. When he finished college, we all attended his graduation celebration with his family. It was a special day.

He began work with us full-time, serving as farm manager for two years. He lived in our house, up the back stairs. He became one of the family. I remember his lovely Mam, Martine, arriving with his piano one weekend.

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We never knew he had such a talent and I enjoyed listening to his music wafting down the stairs. Jack opted to farm part-time for his last year as he was undertaking a Masters in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives. He organised ahead and always informed Colm of his plans.

He covered the spring for us this year. We are very sorry to see Jack go but we are happy that he learned an awful lot from us.

It is important to make sure that foreign students visiting and working on our farms have worthwhile experiences of farming and Ireland

He christened me the ‘calf whisperer’, calling on me if he was concerned about a sick calf. Jack knows how to say the right things. Coming to study in Cork was a great move for Jack. He met his lovely girlfriend Kelly Desmond, a kind and beautiful girl. She is still studying at UCC.

The team

The gathering of the team around the table to give Jack a send-off on his last day included myself, Tim, Colm, Diarmuid, our farm apprentice Sinead and Paula, a Spanish student from Madrid. She was doing a three-month stint on our farm in order to qualify her to apply for veterinary studies in university.

As she wasn’t from a farming background, she needed to do some work with farm animals. I suspect that it was harder for her to adapt to working with animals than she had envisaged. It is important to make sure that foreign students visiting and working on our farms have worthwhile experiences of farming and Ireland. That’s how we generate our good name across the world.

Tim and I have hosted a plethora of students over the years. Colm is now the manager of all that, a job he takes seriously and does extremely well. Managing staff is a very important part of running a busy farm.

From experience, I consider it essential to have a probation period so that both parties can assess the situation after a time. In the case of students, it is critical to be able to send them home, if necessary. To be honest, we never sent a student home. In hindsight, there were one or two we should have sent packing. It would have been far less stressful to be without them.

So now the job of replacing Jack is underway. The students are returning to the colleges. We are very lucky to be near UCC and MTU, where some of them will opt for part-time work on local farms. Meanwhile, Jack called to tell us that he had secured a position at Southern Fuel & Farm Supplies Ltd. We wish him every success. A new chapter for Jack and for the farm.