If you happen upon the Kilkee Cliffs in Co Clare at around 2pm, it’s likely that you might run into a couple of people on the hunt for farm-fresh eggs. You might ask why they’d expect to find these on the very edge of the country, or why, in fact, you might not be alone in your egg hunt – the answer is Ubh by Paudie (@ubhbypaudie), an honesty box that’s taken the area by storm.
Overseen by Paudie Murray (9), the honesty box was started in May this year as a way to sell the eggs from his burgeoning flock. Thanks to his keen business acumen, support from his family, and interest from punters far and wide, Paudie says the honesty box has been a great new project for him to take on.
“We started the honesty box earlier this year, in May, but I got the hens a year and a half ago. I wanted a goldfish, but my Mam bought me two hens instead. I was so happy with them,” says Paudie. “Now I have 98 hens, but some of them aren’t laying yet because they’re only pullets. I keep 60 of them up at the farm and the rest of them are here at the house. I look after them most of the time, but if I’m at school or at summer camp, then my Mam and Dad help look after them.”
Based on a dairy farm with 123 cows in Co Clare run by his father, Kevin Murray, and his grandfather, PJ Murray, Paudie spends his days helping where he can; he says he assists a little with the calves now, but will be taking on more jobs once he turns 10.
“I mostly help with the calves, so I give them their milk, water, and fresh straw every day. I do the same with the chickens too, and my little sister Miah, who is one, tries to help me out a little too,” says Paudie. “My days are pretty busy now, especially now that I’m on summer holidays. Every morning I get up and check on the chickens first thing. I check for eggs, see if they need feed or water or bedding, then I go up and check on the hens at the farm. They’re not laying too many eggs yet, maybe five a day, so I mostly get the eggs for the honesty box from the hens at the house.”
Every morning I get up and check on the chickens first thing. I check for eggs, see if they need feed or water or bedding, then I go up and check on the hens at the farm. They’re not laying too many eggs yet, maybe five a day, so I mostly get the eggs for the honesty box from the hens at the house
“After that, I go on my bike to check the honesty box, then I help my Dad bring the cows to the milking parlour. I wash out their buckets and give them their nuts, then I clean the yard. I fill up the honesty box at 2pm and it’s been selling out every day. I like to be busy, I don’t like to be stuck at home all day being bored, so the hens doing so well has been great. There’s so much demand at the honesty box that I’m not even really allowed eat the eggs now.”
He’s mostly joking about the eggs, but not about the demand. His grandfather Gerry Clarke built the box for the hens, then once Paudie got started, his honesty box became a bit of a phenomenon in the local area – especially since his mam, Amy Clarke, a nurse, started an Instagram page in May to document his business journey. In just a few months, the page has grown to more than 15,000 followers, and they’re seeing customers take notice from all over the world.
“Our record is that we’ve sold out in just 15 minutes and we do find people waiting for the eggs at 2pm. If we sell out, I try to restock the box, but I’ve been using the money from it to buy more hens and expand the flock so we can sell more eggs. It’s all about supply and demand, and there’s been a lot of demand,” says Paudie. “My mam decided to start the Instagram page (@ubhbypaudie), so we could entertain the crowd. I don’t really care about the fame with so many people following me, but sometimes when I meet people at the honesty box, they’re a bit starstruck.”
Minor celebrity
Paudie has become a little bit of a minor celebrity thanks to his Instagram page and his honesty box. In fact, according to his mam Amy, he recently met a group who had driven down from Galway for his eggs and were thrilled to see him in person. Tourists from Pennsylvania have also dropped by and recently, a pair of women from Texas brought jerseys for him and his sister Miah – who pops up in his Instagram videos occasionally – from the States for them to wear.
For Amy, starting the Instagram page was a way to connect with local people who wanted to see how Paudie’s honesty box was progressing. Initially, she thought it would fizzle out, she says, but she’s been delighted to see it growing day by day so that people can see her son as the outgoing boy he is.
“I’m so proud of him, the page helps him show his cheeky side, but also how much he loves the hens and takes care of them,” she explains. “It’s incredible to see people interact with him. Seeing how happy the hens, the box and the Instagram make him, and how well he does it all, it makes me proud.”
For Paudie, the honesty box and its ensuing fame has just been another part of farm life. None of it has fazed him – not the queues, the thousands of followers, nor the folks that travel to meet him, and he’s excited to keep the project going.
“I don’t really see what the big deal about it all is, but I love meeting people and that they’re buying the eggs. It means I can keep the box going, then buy more hens, more straw and more feed,” explains Paudie. “I definitely want to keep it all going, but when I grow up, I want to be a beef farmer and a scaffolder too. When we got our house renovated, I helped out the workers a bit, breaking windows and tiles and stuff, and it was so much fun. For now though, I’m just chilling.”
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