My name is Claire Carr and I’m a farmer’s daughter and an only child. Our farm is in Clonmellon, Co Westmeath, and I always knew the day would come when I’d have to learn the ropes. As I’ve lived away from home since the age of 17, the COVID-19 pandemic offered me an invaluable opportunity to get back to country living and try to absorb my dad’s vast knowledge of caring for a farm.

After graduating from NUI Galway with a B. Comm and MSc Marketing, I moved to Dublin, where I have lived and worked ever since. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my life in Dublin, it didn’t leave much time for farming.

The day job

I work as a marketer in a top 10 accountancy firm in Dublin. My hours are mostly 9.00 – 5.30 and while I have always described my job as varied, that seems like an understatement now that I’m working on the farm. There is a reason why actors say never work with animals - it’s hard to anticipate what they will decide to do next.

There is a reason why actors say never work with animals - it’s hard to anticipate what they will decide to do next

Unfortunately, like so many people around the country, I was temporarily laid off. I was fortunate, however, to have had a whole other line of work to throw myself into. As well as keeping me occupied, I was grateful for the opportunity to work outdoors. The hours are far from the usual nine to five, but there is something energising about heading back down the fields late at night to check on a cow that is close to calving.

Travels made me think

In 2018, back when worldwide travel was about picking up experiences and not the coronavirus, I spent seven months touring Central and South America, making my way from Mexico to Argentina. It was during this time that the reality of inheriting our family farm began to sink in. The possibilities of what I could do with my own farm began to fill my mind.

When I came home, I was more interested and focused on spending time on the farm, but there is only so much you can learn on weekend visits home. The COVID-19 pandemic offered me a chance to immerse myself fully in the day-to-day running of the farm.

Suckler farming

We are suckler farmers and my move home coincided with calving season. The skill of handling cattle is something you can only learn through experience, often enhanced by tips and tricks passed down through generations. Watching my dad use his tricks-of-the-trade sometimes feels like witnessing Mo Farah beat The Cube.

The possibilities of what I could do with my own farm began to fill my mind

Being part of the day-to-day running of the farm means I encounter solutions to problems that my dad no longer even sees as inventive - They are mundane to him, but I would never think of them in a million years.

I’m planning to do the Green Cert whenever the course is back up and running. There is a lot more to farming than meets the eye, it’s heavily based on science. I got a B in biology in school, so I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the fundamentals of it all.

Claire Carr at home on the family farm in Westmeath.

I’m also keen to learn more about all the measures farmers can and do take to help the environment. The debate about the impact farming has on our carbon footprint is something I would like to participate in.

Instagram

We’ve enjoyed mostly incredible weather since I moved home and there is nothing more beautiful than the Irish countryside on a bright sunny day. I found myself taking photos of everything. And with a background in marketing, Instagramming my country lifestyle on @country.claire felt like an enjoyable way to stay in touch with my professional life.

The newborn calves are my number one like-getters

Cattle are very photogenic - our mix of Limousine, Charolais and Belgian Blue cattle offer a gorgeous colour palette against the green grass and the blue sky. The newborn calves are my number one like-getters and my feed is a mixture of cattle, scenery, country living and what I’m learning on the job.

Claire Carr feeding cattle on her family's suckler farm in Westmeath.

What next?

It’s hard to say what the rest of the year has in store for me, but I’m grateful for this opportunity. Hopefully, I will be back to my marketing job soon and, now that I have some experience on the farm, it will be easier to fit time around it. Doing the Green Cert will be good motivation to jump in the car and get back down the road whenever I can.