The room looked fabulous with all the round tables set out for dinner the evening before the Women & Agriculture conference, acknowledging 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF). Ornua and Bord Bia were sponsoring the dinner.
The green Kerrygold socks on every plate gave a lovely grassy hue to the proceedings against bunches of big, open white dog roses. We ladies were in our finery. Ciara Leahy, editor of Irish Country Living, opened proceedings to celebrate women farmers, chatting with Rachel Allen of Ballymaloe fame. Sequins and bottle-green must be in fashion as both ladies accidentally matched. Rachel went on to interview Aileen Sheehan, dairy farmer, and Orla Hogan, beef farmer. The two women had a lively discussion with Rachel. Both were adamant that there are young people out there who want to be farmers and that generational renewal must be a priority.
Orla said: “We should respect ourselves and what we do.” Aileen, my daughter-in-law, agreed, saying: “The positive message should always be out front.”
When that panel was over, we continued with our scrumptious dinner of beef or hake. Then Rachel took the microphone again and made several stops around the room, focusing on women working in the industry, such as Sinead O’Connell, a Dubliner cheese grader who has to continually assess the exact crumbliness of the cheese before it is packaged. She was most interesting. Rachel continued her tour of interesting and hard-working people. It was a novel idea.
Jeanne Kelly, Ornua’s director of communications, told us how Ornua tell the grass-fed story. She said: “The best way is to take people into a field of grass and to allow the cows to gather around. There is a silence before the cows begin to graze. That pause can be used to make the connection with the production of exceptional-quality milk on an Irish dairy farm and another family in the USA that buys Kerrygold butter. It is all about the story.”
It was a relaxing evening of storytelling and sharing, ably orchestrated by Rachel.
The speakers were varied and interesting. There was a bit of everything: humour with John Creedon, life experience with Anna May McHugh, and pathos from Úna Crawford O’Brien on what life is like with her partner Bryan Murray, now in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dermot Whelan brought comedy, mindfulness and meditation together
The next morning, it was all systems go for the conference. On my way in, my school friend Maura gave me a firm hug, saying: “We’re all here.” I knew the “all” was Pauline, Geraldine, Margaret and Maura. They were the friends I’d had in national school. It’s that love and camaraderie from the audience that spurs you on to be the best that you can be.
The speakers were varied and interesting. There was a bit of everything: humour with John Creedon, life experience with Anna May McHugh, and pathos from Úna Crawford O’Brien on what life is like with her partner Bryan Murray, now in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dermot Whelan brought comedy, mindfulness and meditation together, teaching us to ground ourselves and avoid getting overwhelmed by life’s challenges.
The panel discussions showed us what goes on behind the scenes when journalists are working on big news stories, such as the production of beef animals in Brazil. There was a panel that discussed money in your pocket, supported by Ifac. That’s when the women took out their biros. Jacqueline Hogge delved into rural crime with her panel, while Amy Forde focused on celebrating the IYWF, with policy and research input.
Ciara Leahy and my daughter Julie paid me a wonderful tribute of words and flowers, speaking of friendship, writing columns and cherishing family. It was a few special minutes. Julie finished by reading my favourite poem, Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney. As we pulled out a ticket for the raffle, my granddaughter Katie joined me on stage. I think she might be the youngest little farmer (she collects eggs) to take to the stage in 17 conferences.
