The Longford Island farmer
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How long has the Farrell family been farming Inis Cloithreann and what’s the episode about?
Now, to cattle on an island retreat holiday, well, sort of. For generations, the Farrell family has farmed Inishclutton Island on Lough Ree, continuing a tradition that stretches back more than 900 years. Today, Longford farmer and primary school principal Herbert Farrell carries on that legacy, making the one-mile journey by boat several times a week successful. to tend to his cattle on the 143-acre island farm. Countrywide's Della Kilroy travelled to the shores of Lough Re to meet the man keeping this unique but challenging farming tradition alive.
It'll take us about eight or nine minutes to get across. We're really, we're three quarters of the way up the lake in Lough Rea. We're coming out of Barley Harbour. So we're heading across now to Inch Clairon and that's where we're farming. That's where I'm farming and that's where the farrells have come from. I'm the first generation from the mainland. My father, Dan, and his brother and sisters were born in Raridonnet, that was the last generation, and they went to school in Roscommon. And it won't take us long, we've only a light crosswind there, so there might be a bit of splash coming over the gunwale. We'll take it nice and handy.
As we approach the island, we can see the cattle grazing at the water's edge. What are they grazing on?
Everything that's growing down there, the mint is up well at the moment now so they're grazing on mint but the grasses and the fresh grasses is what they're really after. Yesterday when we were over here the cows went out and they were grazing out on the reeds and there's lots of grass on the island but there's obviously something in it that they need. They're eating an awful lot of the meadow sweet at the moment as well. We'll go down past St. Dermot's monastery. We'll see that on our way down to see the cattle and go down to see what they're dining on today.
It's on that side we bring the cattle boat when I'm bringing out the animals and it's on this side we always just bring the rowboat.
Tell me about the logistics of getting here and back with cattle.
It sounds complicated but it's not. The rowboat just pulls it there with a 15 horsepower engine. Like a cattle trailer really, only that it's floating. Daddy designed the first one. He knew the water, he knew what it needed. The silence you hear now. And he grew up with that. You know, it's absolutely amazing. You really are one here and at peace. There's nothing in here to fall out with. You know, it's great. It's not like the men at the time. There's nothing here to fall out with. You know, you search all day long and you find nothing to fall out with. It's just the way you want it. Oh, and we'll head out this way. Oh, we'll head straight. We'll head out through the iris pads. And the cattle you'll see have already eaten the irises as they were beginning to rise.
And now they've gone strong, so they've left them.
What are your memories of being on this island as a child?
Ah, sure, look, it was always an adventure to be brought over. You might be sent off yourself to look for cattle, and sure, you're walking through trees and bushes.
How do we travel to Inch Clairon and what does the lake crossing involve?
You'd be afraid sometimes you might get lost. As Daddy would say, you'll never get lost on an island. Go to the shoreline and follow it around. He says you'll always come back to the start. And, you know, he was right. He had a great logic there. So a couple of cattle were there yesterday and I see most of them have returned now. And we can see they hear the noise and that's one thing they wouldn't be used to at all. You don't say anything when you're around the cattle. You think none of us were getting on. You just don't speak. They like the quiet of the island. That's what you want. The giddiness will be down here now with the baby calves.
We can see, so we're overlooking, it's a really calm day. The water is calm. They're grazing away and we can see about a few dozen. We can see a calf as well.
Yeah, you can see, yeah. I'm almost through calving season, I have three to go. When they're calving, they'll go off, they'll disappear for a week.
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