Farming - West Cork People

A holistic approach to beef farming

WCP Staff April, 2026

What does organic beef farming and homeopathy have in common: Claire Hurley, the force of nature who returned to her West Cork roots in 2009 to take over the 55-acre family farm, despite its uphill challenges. Claire farms an upland hilly farm in the townland of Gortnaclohy (field of the […]

Crème de la crème of milk at farm shop on the Old Head

Mary O'Brien April, 2026

If you’ve walked the Old Head of Kinsale loop this past year, you will have passed by the McCarthy family farm and Old Head Milk shop. If you’re a daily milk drinker then undoubtedly you will also by now be a regular customer. The Atlantic ocean offers a spectacular backdrop […]

The importance of community in farming

WCP Staff April, 2026

Farming in West Cork by Cadhla Ó Conchobhair I’m writing this in the final throes of March heading into April and down to the last five cows left to calve: The cows are out day and night. With no vet calls all season, the relief of not having to clean […]

Food for thought – reconnecting the farming community with wider society

WCP Staff March, 2026

by Cadhla Ó Conchobhair I recently attended an event at MTU Cork Campus on a shared vision for agriculture and food. The workshop, called ’Strengthening Rural Life: from Farm to Community’, was centred around the role of rural communities at the heart of Ireland’s agricultural future. It brought together policy makers, […]

Farming

Cattle herd decline results in rising beef prices

Tommy Moyles June, 2025

Storm Éowyn and the early January snow aside, the 2025 weather has been relatively kind to farmers. You could nearly say that going back to August last year, we’ve had a good run. It was badly needed, as the previous two years were challenging to say the least, especially the […]

A West Cork Farming Life:

Tommy Moyles April, 2025

Sacred Heart Secondary School, finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition Four students from Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty are presently finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition. Lucy Kirby, Ciara O’Driscoll, Ellen O’Neill and Niamh O’Sullivan, with the guidance of their teacher Mary O’Riordan, give a run […]

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