From feeding calves, bringing home turf from the bog and kicking football for her local club, Ruth Murtagh is the essence of a rural youngster.

At just 16 years of age, Ruth already has a clear vision of her future plans – she wants to become a primary school teacher, continue to play football and, most importantly, keep farming.

Growing up in Newtowncashel, Co Longford, Ruth got her love of farming from both sides of the family. Her father Justin is farming all his life and her mother Lorraine also comes from farming stock.

Farming around 100ac, Ruth and her older brother Emmet (19) play a big role in helping their father.

Meanwhile, Lorraine looks after all the paperwork and tricky phone calls with the odd ‘stand in a gap’ request too. Their mischievous black labrador Barney is also an integral part of this Longford family farm unit.

Dairy beef

The Murtaghs rear 60 calves every year and bring them through to slaughter – this is usually at around 24 months at ABP in Clones.

While their buy-in price for calves this year was higher than last year, they were still very happy with factory prices they received. Their first load of this year’s finished cattle went to the factory the first week of January and they were well pleased with prices of over €8/kg.

Originally suckler farmers until four years ago, the Murtaghs are loving life rearing calves.

“Once the calves are finished getting milk, all the hard work is gone out of it,” says Justin.

For the first two years, the Murtaghs bought their calves from the mart. However, with more instances of scour, particularly, rotavirus, the family now buy their calves directly from local dairy farmers. This year they paid €300/head per calf, up from between €200 to €230 last year.

At the minute I’m also power washing the sheds, feeding meal out on the field and bringing home the last of the turf

While most of the calves are now out on grass for the summer, there are still 14 of this year’s calves – bought late – that are still getting milk once a day. As Ruth is on her school holidays, she takes responsibility for these calves.

“At the minute I’m also power washing the sheds, feeding meal out on the field and bringing home the last of the turf.

“I harvest my own bank of turf and supply it to families.We got it cut early this year and we turned it and footed it and have it all home now,” she says.

Ruth is not afraid to get her hands dirty and says that she likes keeping her mind busy.

When it comes to feeding the calves during the busy time of year, Ruth can manage this task on her own, when required.

“It takes a couple of hours in the morning and evening to feed the calves. I think next year we’re going to buy an automatic feeder to make it easier and quicker. At the minute we’re just using compartment feeders. We might buy maybe 80 or 90 calves next year, as it wouldn’t be as much work if we had the feeder,” she says.

Feeding the lambs

Ruth also plays a role in looking after the sheep on the farm – they have around 100 sheep, between ewes and lambs.

“We’ve 40 ewes and they’re a mixture of Galway and Suffolk, then we have a Texel and Charollais ram. I love feeding the lambs and bringing them out to the fields,” she says.

Between it all, Ruth still doesn’t forget about her granny Teresa Quinn, who she stays with every Wednesday night, alongside her cousin Jenny. They go to town with their granny on a Thursday to help her with her shopping. Looking to the future, Ruth has her heart set on teaching.

“When I grow up, I want to work as a primary teacher who also gets involved in school life outside the classroom, especially in sports like football and basketball.

I’ve always loved working with children and being part of a team.

“I want to bring that same energy I have on the farm and the football pitch into the classroom. I also want to keep supporting my family, neighbours, and community as I grow older,” says Ruth.

While Ruth is planning her future, she is also busy attending football training and matches for her club.

“I play full-forward and I love training with the girls at Rathcline LGFA – we’re a great team and great friends. We’re playing junior at the minute and I’ll also be playing minor later on in the year.”

In five years’ time

“I see myself studying to become a primary school teacher – something I’ve always been passionate about – while continuing to stay hands-on at home on the farm. I’d love to still be playing GAA with my local club and helping coach school teams.”