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‘We’re right up the coast; I am farming in Falcarragh alongside my dad and my grandfather. We’re farming about 150 ewes. A lot of the home farm is fairly close together, we have another farm scattered three miles away, but with sheep, it’s not too difficult to move them around.
“I have always been on the farm, as the only grandchild out of eight with an interest in it, similar to my father, it seems to be inherited. I did agricultural science for my Leaving Cert, I remember we got to do one class as a taster and I knew it was definitely for me as it teaches you the science behind farming.
“We keep a mix, we have Suffolk, Beltex, Texels and a few other breeds, it’s a random mix, but it works, for us.
“When I went into sixth year, I never wanted to go to college; I had no interest in it, but as my father never had the opportunity to go to college when he was young, he encouraged me to go and get a degree.
“The day I put in my CAO application was the day I decided what I was doing. I hadn’t a notion of what I wanted to do. I am delighted my dad pushed me to do agriculture, as I had the most amazing four years in college. On the first day, I made friends with three girls in my year and we stuck together from then.
“Living 45 minutes from Atlantic Technological University (ATU), I commuted for the four years. I have friends who are driving an hour and a half to college. People are putting in a real tough graft to get to college in the morning, the days we only have one or two classes, it can be hard to justify that drive.
“In second year, everyone has to do blocks of placement. Having never been around cows, working on a dairy farm was the best couple of weeks of my life.
“I came home and had a notion that I wanted to get cows, but dad put that out of my head.
“Getting to know people all over Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, and Roscommon was one of the best parts about college. I have a wide circle of friends if I ever need to ring anyone, and I wouldn’t have met them if I didn’t go to college,” she explains.
“It was a unique learning experience as the course was small and you had a great relationship with your lecturers, which made it very personable. I was never stuck, and they organised the farm visits around the interests of the class.
“Final year was tough, and the first few weeks were a shock to the system, but we were warned it was going to be hard. I found myself falling behind as we were lambing at home during the final few months. My dad works full-time, my grandad is nearly 80, and the lambing fell on me; they don’t wait for college.
“I was up during the night with them and then driving into college in the morning, the three days a week we were in, and I was farming the other days. It was hard, but it was well worth it.
“I didn’t go on a college night out until February this year because I was worried about how I was going to get home. I was always the person who worried more about getting home than going out and having the craic. I didn’t allow myself any enjoyment until this year, until you’re happier, you don’t realise how miserable you had been.
“I think you need to remember you are young and you have to make the effort even if you’re living in the middle of nowhere. Looking back on it now, it’s kind of sad. I didn’t have to go and drink, but just go out for the craic and drive home after.
Next steps
“In February, Gerard McDaid, one of the lecturers in ATU, organised for the year group to do the farm advisory training in Portlaoise with the Department.
“We’re all qualified to be farm advisers, which is a huge benefit. It gave us all a leg up compared to other recent graduates. I am hoping to work in the area of advisory shortly.”
“Young farmers aren’t used to doing one thing all the time. And it was the same at home. I was glad I went to college and didn’t commit to doing the same thing for the rest of my life. I don’t think people realise how good the degree is. It will always stand to me, even if I decide to go full-time farming with the sheep.”
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