Eva joined Stephen on his 30-acre beef farm in Kilfenora when they got married. She began farming and coming up with new ventures, despite having no experience in agriculture.

“I decided to bring something else to the farm and diversify. We noticed there was a gap in the market for free-range pigs in Clare,” she says.

“We have Saddleback sows which we usually cross with Duroc. The reason we chose Saddlebacks is that they are lovely animals, very docile, friendly and sociable.”

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As well as the free-range pigs which they started rearing in 2007, the couple have Limousin, Charolais and Hereford cattle, donkeys, hens, and a polytunnel for vegetables on their farm.

“I spent 15 years doing accounts, so this is a big change. With the economic downturn, jobs started to become rare, so I decided I wanted to get out and do something more sustainable,” Eva explains.

According to Eva, the pigs are well suited to outdoor living, as their colouring protects them from sunburn and they are hardy against the harsh conditions associated with living so near to the Atlantic coast. Eva, who moved to Ireland from Finland 14 years ago, sells her pork products at the Ennistymon and Ennis farmers’ markets. She also regularly cooks hot dogs which she serves with her homemade chilli jam or courgette relish.

“The sausages are the most popular and they contain 82% pork. When people taste our meat they say it tastes how it used to in their childhood. It brings back memories of when they would have had their own pig slaughtered and they would eat every part of it.”

Eva decided to take a ‘Grow Your Business’ course with Clare Local Development to help come up with different ways to earn an income from the farm.

“We were considering opening up the farm to visitors, so the course gave us some good ideas and help.”

The Hegartys also became members of the Burren ecotourism network, which this year launched a food trail with 20 food businesses in Clare.

“The trail is about showing small groups what we can do on a small-scale farm in a sustainable way. They get the chance to taste our produce and we show them how best to cook them.

“We try to keep the whole experience as authentic as possible, so we even get square bales for them to sit on.”

Eva is also involved in planning the Lisdoonvarna Food Fair in October.