Anything can be found on the beautiful unruly hills of Louth’s Cooley peninsula – from army training on the rugged terrain to wild goats nibbling on hillside flora. Indeed, if the Gods are feeling generous, you might be lucky enough to spot a Kearney brother – after all, this is where they spent their youth running riot, with rugby balls in tow.

You’ll also find Matthew and Clodagh McGreehan’s farm where they live with their children (Thomas (11), Maryrose (nine), John (eight), Matthew (six) and baby Catherine). The McGreehan family are the very reason Irish Country Living found itself in the wilds of Cooley, because they are engaged in a very unique type of farming – social farming.

Social farming is where an activity is offered on family farms as a form of social support service. The farm remains a typical working farm, but one where people in need of support (such as people with a learning disability, a mental health issue or, for example, an acquired brain injury) can benefit from participation in farm activities in a non-clinical environment.

“Social Farming Across Borders” is a project overseeing the introduction of social farming in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. Its project co-ordinator, Paul Henry, tells Irish Country Living: “The concept of social farming arose out of the move there has been to get people out of more institutionalised models of care to more community-based supports.

“Instead of creating something artificial within the service setting, why not go and partner with people who are already out there in the community and have the skills, time and resources,” says Paul.

“The core concept of it is that farmers are natural connectors and can be the gateway to people living a fulfilled life in their community.”

Pilot scheme

A pilot in social farming has just been completed on the McGreehans’ farm, which is home to everything from hens, geese and old farm machinery (Matthew’s passion) to a horse named Bob. Three men from the Louth area – Jimmy Hanlon, Paul McCague and Peter-Paul McShane – who engage in support services with disability care provider Rehab Care, came to the McGreehen farm for one day a week for 30 weeks.

The McGreehans’ farm is a busy one and there was plenty of work waiting for them, not least Matthew’s 330 ewes.

“When we were getting the sheep ready for the sales, we’d be weighing them and tagging them,” explains Matthew. “I’d point them out and Jimmy would catch them. Paul would be letting them in and out of the gate with the weighing scales and Peter-Paul was great at the record keeping.”

When the farm work was done, Matthew and the lads would pack into the pick-up (accompanied by sheepdog Bruno) and set off for Mackins in Newry to buy wire, Leo Byrnes for sheep drench and KC Hire for a lawnmower. Coote Hill mart (nicknamed locally as Cooley Hill mart because so many Cooley farmers go there) was another destination for the sheep sales.

The guys also brought another dimension to the farm, introducing Matthew to the joys of a vegetable garden which is now mainly manned by Jimmy.

A solid friendship has been struck up between the three men and the McGreehans. Such a support network is crucial to Jimmy, in particular, at the moment as his father died in November and his mother died in April.

Solid skills

So what brought Matthew and Clodagh to the project?

Firstly, they had more than the requisite skills. Clodagh is a trained occupational therapist and while Matthew is a full-time farmer, he is also a trained carer with a FETAC qualification. He worked as a home support worker, something he fell into by accident when the district nurse asked him if he would care for an old neighbour he was calling in to anyway. It was something he enjoyed, and he had several clients.

“We don’t want it to become like a care farm – somewhere where people go every week or every day and do the exact same thing. That’s the good thing about farming. With the seasons comes different tasks and it’s changing every day. Along with having a genuine interest in it, we would be hoping that it would help our income as well,” says Matthew.

Paul Henry feels farmers can play a significant role in helping participants move into the working world, and that this is something they should be compensated for.

“Social farmers are doing that bridging role in the middle. They can provide that opportunity for people to get experience and learn a skill and to actually help them to take the next step in progression – that they could move on to another farmer to actually get employment.”

“We’re trying to negotiate a position at the moment that farmers can get some recompense for the time that they’re putting into it” continues Paul. “The farmers have come together to set up their own organisation to lobby on their behalf and on behalf of people who want to engage in farming and rural life.”

Not only is social farming serving a practical purpose, but the guys have enjoyed it too. Peter-Paul said he’d definitely like to do it again and all three acknowledged it as a first-choice activity for the future. When asked if they felt they’d benefited from the project, the three men answered with a resounding “yes”.

Matthew said he is “sad” the pilot has come to end: “I’d built up a good relationship with them. The lads know where everything is and the run of the farm.”

Clodagh McGreehan eloquently summarises her family’s experience of social farming: “It means not just opening your farm, but your life, your house and your kitchen and your heart.”

• The project is funded under INTERREG IV A through the Special EU Programmes Body with contributory funding from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development N.I and the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government RoI. The project is delivered by UCD (Lead), Queen’s University Belfast, and Leitrim Development Company.