The farm: “I farm about 60ha, two thirds of it is rented and I bought the rest last year. I’ve been farming on my own with two years now and I’m in the organic scheme.”
Land: “All of it is a mix of rough grazing and hill with some green ground. My father is young and will be farming for a good while yet so when a bit of land came up for rent two years ago, I said I’d give a go off it. The purchased land is about five minutes’ drive away from it. I wouldn’t say it’s the Golden Vale but we have to make a start somewhere.”
Flock: “I’ve about 100 ewes, they’re mountain crosses, Scotch or Cheviots. There’s no room for pedigree animals around here – they wouldn’t be hard enough to survive. I’ve about 100 ewes myself but there’s a bigger flock on the home farm so I always help as my father is a great help to me.”
This week: “We finished the shearing in both flocks. It’s a busy time between work, rowing and getting the shearing done. I send the wool to a local butcher, Kieran Burns, he runs Sneem Organics and makes organic wool fertiliser pellets. Hopefully that might rise the price of the wool for the locals in the next few years. We’re just trying to finish the lambs now to have them ready to sell in Kenmare Mart by early September.”
Off-farm: “I work on buildings and in summer I do coastal rowing. “I’m a part-time fireman too and when you get the call to go to a fire, you have to drop everything for it. We were called to a good few gorse fires in the last few weeks. A small thing would set off a fire at the moment and we got a few calls locally in Sneem and Caherdaniel as a result. People don’t realise how hard it is to put out fires.”
All-Ireland: “As a Kerryman I’m disappointed with the result Sunday but I’m delighted for Mayo. My mother, Teresa, is a proud Mayo woman and has suffered many heartbreaks in Croke Park but there were tears shed after they won on Sunday.”
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