I’m not a dermatologist but, as a GP with 30 years experience, I have seen one skin condition commonly affecting the face that can be particularly distressing for women: Rosacea can have a significant impact on confidence and quality of life.

What exactly is rosacea?

Many people think that Rosacea is a type of acne, but that is not the case. 

Rosacea is a common female skin condition, mostly affecting the face. It predominantly affects fair-skinned individuals but may appear in any skin type. Rosacea can start at any age from childhood onwards, but most commonly appears in young adults.

While it is more common in women, when affecting men it may be more severe. It is a long-term condition and fluctuates from mild to severe. Rosacea mostly affects the cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose. What is going on in the skin is a mixture of inflammation and increased blood flow caused by rapid vasodilation, in the same way that blushing occurs. Women feel the skin on their face is often sensitive and the affected area can feel very hot or sting.

She finds that pretty much any cream she applies causes redness. As well as the redness there can be elements of thickening of the skin, with small bumps, and pus-filled spots similar to acne. There may also be uncomfortable redness and irritation of the surface of the eyes and eyelids. Some people affected by rosacea may develop eye problems such as painful inflammation involving the front part of the eye (rosacea keratitis) and this may cause blurred vision. If you develop symptoms affecting the eyes, see your GP, as they may need to refer you to see a dermatologist or an optician.

Because this skin condition affects the face, it can be very stressful, result in low self esteem, anxiety, social withdrawal and even depression. 

What does rosacea look like?

Rosacea usually starts with a tendency to blush easily. A red rash on the cheeks can be an early sign. After a while, the central areas of the face become a permanent deeper shade of red, with small, dilated blood vessels, bumps, and pus-filled spots.

Occasionally, there may be some swelling of the facial skin called lymphoedema, especially around the eyes. Occasionally, an overgrowth of the oil-secreting glands on the nose may cause it to become enlarged, bulbous and red called rhinophyma, but this rarely occurs in women. 

What causes rosacea? 

The cause of rosacea is not fully understood. Genetics, immune system problems and environmental factors may all play a part. Factors that trigger rosacea cause the blood vessels in the skin of the face to enlarge (dilate). The theory that rosacea is due to bacteria on the skin or in the gut has not been proven. However, antibiotics have proved helpful to treat rosacea. This is because of their anti-inflammatory effect. Rosacea is not contagious.

Is rosacea hereditary?

Rosacea does seem to run in some families, but there is no clear genetic link.

There are many triggers that may make rosacea worse. These include alcohol, exercise, high and low temperatures, hot drinks, spicy foods, hormone changes and stress. Rosacea patients can be sensitive to the sun. In my work as a menopause doctor, seeing women going through menopause skin changes is a common complaint. If there is pre-existing Rosacea, it often flares up and becomes very difficult to control, triggered by the hormone fluctuations of the menopause transition. Combined with the increased dryness of our skin as we age, the redness and inflammation seen in Rosacea can become really difficult to control over the age of 45. 

How will rosacea be
diagnosed?

Rosacea can be diagnosed by its appearance. Specific tests are not usually required.

Can rosacea be cured? 

No, but long-term treatments can be helpful.

How can rosacea be treated?

There is no magic cream! Resist the urge to buy expensive, lovely smelling and often coloured potions, as many ingredients in our cosmetic creams will aggravate the inflammation of Rosacea.

Use a simple, colour and scent free SPF 30 face cream daily. Avoid gritty exfoliation, as this will definitely flare the inflammation.

There are specific anti-inflammatory creams and oral anti inflammatories can also be helpful. But the redness is also caused by vasodilation or increased blood flow to the skin giving that bright red blush look.  This is harder to manage.

Local treatments: The inflammatory element of rosacea may be controlled with a medication applied to the affected areas. It may take at least eight weeks for the effect to become evident. Some applications work specifically to reduce the redness associated with rosacea.

Oral antibiotics: These are helpful for the inflammatory element of moderate or severe rosacea. The most commonly used antibiotics belong to the tetracycline group and include tetracycline, oxytetracycline, doxycycline, lymecycline and minocycline. Erythromycin is another commonly used antibiotic. The duration of an antibiotic course depends on how your body responds to the treatment. Your doctor may suggest that you use a cream and an oral treatment together.

Other treatments for rosacea may be recommended depending on the severity of symptoms. An eye specialist can help manage severe eye complications associated with rosacea. For patients who develop rhinophyma, a bulbous enlargement of the nose, treatment by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon can help reduce its appearance. Persistent redness and visible dilated blood vessels may be improved with laser therapy performed by a dermatologist. If excessive blushing is a significant concern, medications such as beta-blockers or clonidine may be prescribed. In cases of severe rosacea, a dermatologist may also prescribe isotretinoin tablets to help control symptoms.

What can I do?

Protecting your skin from the sun is an important part of managing rosacea. Before going outdoors, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to your face every day. Sunscreen should be reapplied regularly, especially during prolonged outdoor activities, to maintain effective protection.

When cleansing your face, avoid rubbing or scrubbing the skin, as this can aggravate rosacea symptoms. Perfumed soaps should also be avoided because they may irritate sensitive skin. Instead, use a soap substitute, such as an emollient cleanser, which is gentler on the skin. If your skin is dry or sensitive, regular use of a non-perfumed moisturiser can help maintain the skin barrier and reduce irritation.

Many people find that certain lifestyle factors can trigger or worsen their rosacea. Keeping a diary of flare-ups may help identify personal triggers, allowing you to avoid factors that aggravate your symptoms. In some cases, cosmetics can be used effectively to conceal redness, and specialised skin camouflage products may provide additional coverage for excessive facial redness.

Unless specifically recommended by your doctor, it is generally advisable to avoid some acne treatments, as these products can irritate rosacea-prone skin. Similarly, creams or ointments containing corticosteroids should not be used unless prescribed by a dermatologist, as they may worsen rosacea over time.

If your eyes are affected by rosacea, it is important not to ignore the symptoms. Consult your GP, as referral to a dermatologist or ophthalmologist may be necessary for further assessment and treatment. In addition, some medications can increase facial flushing and blushing. Your doctor or dermatologist can review your current medications and make appropriate adjustments if necessary.

For more information go to www.irishskin.ie and www.rosacea.org.

I hope this has been healthful. If you wish to request an article on any particular female health topics please email any
suggestions to the editor for consideration:
mary@westcorkpeople.ie.

Hair loss can happen for a variety of reasons, as herbalist Rosarie Kingston explains, looking at the different types of hair loss and approaches to preventing or treating this condition

Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and it can occur due to family history, autoimmune conditions, hormonal changes, lack of certain nutrients in the diet, some medications, scalp problems, and stress. It is often more helpful to think of alopecia as a sign that something else is going on in the body, rather than one single condition, because the way the hair falls out can point to different underlying causes.

Hair grows in a repeating cycle with three main stages: a growing phase (anagen), a short transition phase (catagen), and a resting phase (telogen) during which the hair stops growing and eventually sheds. After shedding, the follicle rests for a while before starting a new growing phase and producing a fresh hair strand. If there is a disruption in this cycle we get hair loss.

The most common type of long-term hair loss is called androgenetic alopecia, often known as female-pattern or male-pattern hair loss. This type runs in families and gets worse slowly over time. It is the kind of thinning that many women notice as they get older.

Another common type is alopecia areata, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, leading to patchy hair loss. Hair can also shed more than usual after an illness, very high stress, childbirth, surgery, rapid weight loss, or if there are low levels of iron, zinc, vitamin D, or B vitamins.

Hormonal changes are another major cause, especially during pregnancy and menopause. Certain medicines, scalp infections, very tight hairstyles, and harsh hair treatments can also weaken the hair follicles and lead to shedding.

Oestrogen plays an important role in keeping our hair healthy by helping it stay in its growing phase for longer. When oestrogen levels drop, hair can begin to shed more easily and may take longer to grow back. This is why many women notice thinning hair during times of hormonal change, such as after childbirth or during menopause.

During menopause in particular, the hair follicles (which produce each strand of hair) are quite sensitive to changes in oestrogen. Lower levels can affect not just how much hair grows, but also its thickness and texture. However, it is not always as simple as ‘low oestrogen’ causing hair loss. In some women, hair follicles are more sensitive to other hormones called androgens, even when these hormone levels are within a normal range. This means that hair thinning can also be influenced by genetics and how the body responds to its hormones, which is why blood tests do not always show a clear cause.

Stress can lead to hair loss in two main ways. First, it can trigger a condition called telogen effluvium, where many hairs move into the resting phase too soon and then fall out a few months later. Second, stress may help bring on alopecia areata in people who are already prone to it, possibly by affecting how the immune system and inflammation work.

This does not mean stress is always the only cause. More often, it acts as a trigger on top of something else already going on, such as a family tendency, hormonal changes, illness, or a lack of certain nutrients. In everyday terms, stress can ‘tip’ the hair cycle out of balance, because the tiny structures that grow our hair are very sensitive to what is happening inside the body.

Nutrition is important because hair grows quickly and needs protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and several B vitamins to build strong strands. If these nutrients are low, hair can become thinner, more brittle, or fall out more easily. A Mediterranean-style diet, enough protein in the diet, and fixing any confirmed nutrient shortages are often the most sensible place to start if you notice hair thinning.

Among herbs and plant oils, rosemary is one of the better-known options, with studies suggesting it may support hair growth through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. Pumpkin seed oil is another promising remedy, with clinical and preclinical evidence in pattern hair loss, possibly through effects on 5-alpha-reductase and support for the hair follicle. Nettle and horsetail (equisetum) are also traditionally valued for hair health, as they are rich in minerals that support strong, resilient hair.

For rosemary, a simple and effective use is as a rinse: simmer a handful of dried rosemary in water for 15-20 minutes, strain, and use the cooled liquid as a final rinse after washing your hair. Pumpkin seed oil is best taken internally, typically as a supplement (following the dose on the product label). Nettle can be used as a daily tea (steeping dried nettle leaves in hot water) or as a rinse made from a strong infusion. Horsetail is most commonly taken as a tea or tincture, though it can also be used as a rinse. Do not plant horsetail in your garden. It is very invasive and will take over in a short space of time. 

The best approach really depends on what’s causing the hair loss. If you’re noticing sudden shedding after a period of stress, illness, or a big life change, it often improves on its own once that trigger settles down. On the other hand, pattern hair loss and autoimmune-type alopecia usually need a more targeted plan.

If hair loss is ongoing, it’s sensible to take a close look at things like your iron levels, thyroid function, vitamin D, zinc, your diet, any medications you’re on, and whether you’re going through menstrual or menopausal changes, or showing signs of an autoimmune condition.

A  realistic approach might include fixing any nutrient shortages, easing up on stress where possible, using well-studied herbs like rosemary or pumpkin seed oil, and addressing any hormonal or medical factors at play. This kind of combined approach is often far more helpful than focusing on just one cause.

Here is my summer skincare routine to help your skin look and feel its absolute best, without needing fillers or harsh treatments!

Hydrate from within

We’ve all heard it a thousand times, but true hydration really does start on the inside. As we get older, our skin naturally produces less of its own oils and struggles to hold onto moisture. Drinking plenty of water is a great start, but you also need healthy fats in your diet to act like a seal, locking that moisture into your skin cells.

This is where Omega-3 essential fatty acids come in. They help strengthen your skin’s natural barrier, keeping it plump and preventing it from drying out. Try to include plenty of Omega-3-rich foods in your meals, like walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, or wild-caught fish. If you feel your skin needs an extra bit of help – especially during dry spells – a high-quality, pure fish oil or a plant-based algal oil supplement can make a world of difference in softening dry patches and keeping things supple. Flax, Hemp or Udo’s oil also works beautifully – all can be added to a smoothie or yoghurt and granola in the morning.

Smart sun care

Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the kindest things you can do for it. Strong UV rays speed up the breakdown of collagen, which is what keeps our skin firm, and can lead to uneven skin tone or age spots.

Your best ally here is a good quality mineral suncream. Unlike standard chemical sunscreens, mineral formulas sit gently on top of the face using natural ingredients like zinc oxide to reflect the sun’s rays away like a mirror. Look out for Green People, Suntribe, Biosolis and Badger suncreams – all mineral, safe for you and for the ocean life. 

My favourite is Dr Hauschka’s Tinted SPF 30 – it gives a fabulous glow even if you don’t have a tan! 

I’m also trying to make a habit of wearing a hat or a cap when I’m out walking on a summer day – even on the shady days. 

Gentle exfoliation

Our skin’s natural renewal process slows down a bit over time, meaning dead skin cells can sit on the surface longer, making our complexion look a little dull or uneven. Gently clearing these away makes an instant difference and helps your regular creams absorb much better.

The trick with mature skin is to avoid anything harsh or abrasive – no gritty scrubs that scratch or irritate the face. Instead, opt for something kind to the skin barrier:

Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream: This is a real classic and one of my personal favourites. Instead of scrubbing, you use a gentle ‘press and roll’ motion with wet hands. It uses almond meal and soothing herbs to lift away impurities while keeping your skin’s natural moisture entirely intact.

Olae PHA Exfoliant: Polyhydroxy Acids (PHAs) are fantastic for mature skin. They have a larger molecular structure than other exfoliating acids, meaning they work slowly and gently on the surface without causing redness. Even better, they actually draw moisture into the skin while they work. I use this PHA Exfoliant twice a week – it’s very gentle but I really notice the difference if I stop. 

Natural oils and plant actives

Once your face is clean and fresh, feeding it with natural oils leaves you with a gorgeous, dewy finish.

Olae Anti-Aging Oil: This is a beautifully crafted fantastic value French Oil designed specifically to deeply nourish mature skin, helping with elasticity and smoothing out fine lines. It contains so much Astaxanthin that it’s bright red – which is a great thing for your skin (again, it gives a lovely glow)

Trilogy Bakuchiol: If you want the smoothing benefits of Retinol but find it makes your skin dry, peeling, or sensitive to the sun, Bakuchiol is your answer. It’s a gentle, plant-based alternative to retinol that helps refresh skin texture and boost radiance without any of the irritation.

Hydrating masks

Think of a face mask as a weekly top-up to give your skin a concentrated dose of moisture. It’s a simple ritual that yields wonderful results. I love using a mask in the bath. 

Dr. Hauschka Revitalising Mask: This is an absolute lifesaver for tired or parched skin, helping to even out the complexion and soothe any redness. A favorite trick of mine is to apply a thin layer in the evening and simply leave it on overnight. You’ll wake up with skin that looks beautifully rested and plump.

Urtekram Agave 3-Minute Mask: If you’re short on time or heading out for the evening, this organic mask gives your skin an express shot of cooling hydration in just three minutes.

If you like natural skincare, call in to Organico or visit our website – we have a very comprehensive selection of brands – from locally-made WaSi skincare (their Lemongrass soap is a bestseller!) to Irish Tallow Skincare to favourites like Weleda, Dr Hauschka and Trilogy. We’re passionate about everything to do with natural skincare.

We live in one of the most beautiful corners of Ireland, and from the first glimpse of blue sky, we make the most of it. Gardening, the beach, walking Galley Head or Mizen Peninsula — outdoor life is part of who we are here in West Cork. But decades of casual sun exposure, those holiday sunburns we’ve long forgotten, and even the everyday UV that filters through car windows, all leave their mark on our skin. The good news is that modern aesthetic medicine has never been better equipped to address that damage, and to stop it getting worse.

Ultraviolet radiation comes in two main forms that reach us on the ground: UVA and UVB. UVB is the ‘burning’ ray — responsible for the red, sore skin after a day at Barleycove. UVA penetrates deeper into the dermis, breaking down collagen and elastin, and is present year-round, even on overcast days. Both cause DNA damage in skin cells, and that damage accumulates silently over a lifetime.

The visible consequences show up years, sometimes decades later, and include: pigmentation and dark spots, uneven skin tone and a dull, leathery texture, fine lines and deeper wrinkles, dilated capillaries and redness (telangiectasia), a crepey appearance on the décolletage and backs of hands, and finally precancerous and cancerous skin lesions. 

Skin cancer is the more serious side of sun damage.

Ireland has one of the highest rates of melanoma in Europe — a fact that still surprises many people given our famously grey skies. But our culture of making the most of every sunny day, combined with historically low awareness of sun protection and the high proportion of fair, freckled skin tones in our population, has created a perfect storm.

The three main forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. BCC and SCC are the most common and, when caught early, highly treatable. Melanoma is rarer but far more dangerous if it spreads. All three are linked to cumulative UV exposure and episodes of sunburn, particularly in childhood and early adulthood.

Know your ABCDEs: when checking moles and spots, watch for Asymmetry, irregular Border, uneven Colour, a Diameter larger than 6mm, and any Evolution or change over time. If you notice any of these, see your GP promptly. 

The most effective thing you can do for your skin, at any age, is wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every single day. Rain, wind, or shine. Studies consistently show that daily sunscreen use reduces the risk of melanoma by around 50 percent, halves the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, and measurably slows the visible signs of skin ageing. No serum, treatment, or procedure comes close to those numbers.

There are two categories of SPF: chemical and mineral. Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and convert them to heat. Mineral sunscreens – containing zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide – sit on top of the skin and physically reflect UV light away before it can penetrate. Both are good options but if you suffer from pigmentation, rosacea or acne then mineral SPFs are generally better. Mineral is also often better tolerated if you find SPF irritates your eyes. You must reapply SPF throughout the day, so what I often advise is to use a cream SPF in the morning but to carry an invisible spray with you in your bag or the car and then you can reapply this throughout the day.

Treatments

Once you have your daily SPF in place, professional treatments can make a remarkable difference to skin that has accumulated years of sun damage. The right approach depends on your skin type, the nature of the damage, and your downtime tolerance. A thorough consultation with a qualified practitioner is always the starting point.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses broad-spectrum light energy to target specific chromophores in the skin – the melanin in pigmented spots and the haemoglobin in broken capillaries and redness. It is one of the most effective treatments available for the classic sun-damaged complexion: uneven tone, scattered brown spots, and a ruddy or blotchy appearance. A course of three to six sessions, spaced three to four weeks apart, can result in a dramatic evening of skin tone and a brighter, more youthful overall appearance. IPL also stimulates collagen production, providing a secondary benefit of improved texture. It is best suited to lighter skin tones.

Fractional laser treatments – including CO2 and Er:YAG lasers – work by creating thousands of microscopic injury channels in the skin, stimulating the body’s natural healing response and encouraging the production of new collagen and elastin. The result is smoother, firmer skin with reduced fine lines, improved texture, and a more even tone. Ablative fractional treatments offer significant results for deeper sun damage and wrinkles but come with several days of downtime as the skin heals. Resurfacing is also particularly effective for crepey skin on the neck and décolletage as well as the hands. 

Professional chemical peels use acids – such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic, trichloroacetic acid (TCA), or combinations thereof – to remove damaged outer layers of skin and stimulate cell turnover. Superficial peels (such as low-percentage glycolic or lactic acid) cause minimal peeling and require no downtime, making them ideal for a series of monthly maintenance treatments to brighten skin and address mild pigmentation. Medium-depth peels using TCA penetrate further and can produce significant improvements in pigmentation, fine lines, and textural irregularities. 

Microneedling (also known as collagen induction therapy) uses fine needles to create controlled micro-injuries in the skin, triggering collagen and elastin synthesis. When combined with exosomes, the results are amplified. It is particularly well suited to improving overall skin quality, fine lines, mild to moderate laxity, and post-inflammatory marks. Microneedling is suitable for a wider range of skin tones than some laser treatments, making it a versatile option.

For stubborn pigmentation – particularly melasma, which is notoriously difficult to treat – a combination approach typically yields the best results. This might include topical prescription-grade ingredients such as azelaic acid, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, or retinoids used at home, alongside in-clinic treatments such as IPL, peels, or mesotherapy with brightening agents. The non-negotiable foundation of any pigmentation programme is daily mineral SPF. Without it, the melanocytes that have been stimulated to over-produce will simply redouble their efforts the moment UV hits the skin, and hard-won results fade within weeks.

A question that comes up frequently in consultations is: ‘Is it too late for me to do anything about this?’ The answer is a firm no. The skin has a remarkable capacity for renewal. Even patients in their sixties and seventies see meaningful improvement with consistent SPF use and targeted treatments. That said, the best outcomes are achieved through a preventive mindset: building daily sun protection into your routine now, regardless of age, and addressing accumulated damage progressively over a course of treatments rather than looking for a single dramatic fix.

The autumn and winter months are ideal for beginning a treatment programme, as lower UV levels during recovery reduce the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation and allow more aggressive treatments to be used safely. Many patients use the quieter months to complete a course of peels or resurfacing before the summer, emerging with refreshed, more even skin just in time to protect it all over again.

There’s a heavy drizzle falling on the country road. Framed by the lush green of the softly humming hedgerows, a man sits on his bicycle in the mist, waiting to greet the farmer coming his way. “Soft,” remarks the cyclist with a smile, acknowledging the weather. “Soft indeed,” replies the farmer with a nod. Dreamer Fred La Haye moved from the Netherlands to Ireland almost 50 years ago drawn by the possibility of a self-sufficient lifestyle. These are the sort of interactions that kept him here. “It’s beautiful you know,” he tells Mary O’Brien. “To be able to hold a conversation around just one word. I love that about the people in this country.”

Words, but perhaps more importantly listening, are all-important to Fred, (78), who is well known around West Cork for being a passionate proponent of dialogue, as well as for his pioneering work introducing sustainable practices into local communities.

A poet and philosopher, Fred’s writing is inspired by the thoughts and writings of the philosopher and scientist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest, who sought to bridge the gap between faith and science by showing they are interconnected. He also looks to the teachings of American physicist and philosopher, David Bohm, who believed that beyond the visible, tangible world there lies a deeper, implicit order of undivided wholeness; and that transformation in society could be brought about by dialogue.

“Listening to the world is essential and the quality of listening so important,” says Fred passionately.

In his poem ‘Noosphere’ Fred describes ‘The ringing out of a thousand million human vibrations! / A whole layer of consciousness exerting simultaneous pressure on the future! / And the collected and hoarded produce of a million years of thought! / Have we ever tried to form an idea of what such magnitudes represent? / Have we?’

After discovering a shared interest in the ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, musician Justin Grounds composed the oratorio ‘The Embracing Universe’ to elevate Fred’s poetry, which shares the thoughts and writings of the visionary French philosopher.

“Teilhard de Chardin was banned from lecturing and publishing his own work, as he was told by his superiors that the Jesuit society was not founded to support religious pioneers,” explains Fred. “I wrote this work to rescue him from historical oblivion.”

Actions speak loudly too for Fred, who got his first taste of community activism as a young man in the Netherlands when he hitchhiked to Amsterdam to join the thousands of demonstrators opposed to the Vietnam War and the expansion of nuclear energy. “We were so furious, so angry that we couldn’t even celebrate Christmas,” he recalls.

Although he struggled at school and dropped out early, Fred’s hunger for change and ambition to fight injustice led him back to education and eventually to study law at university specialising in criminology, in particular institutional and structural crime.

Married with a young child and eager to explore the possibility of living a self-reliant life in a more natural environment, Fred moved with his family to West Cork in 1978. The original plan was to continue his law studies in Ireland, however life and its struggles got in the way of that ambition, with the young family finding themselves focused on mere survival. “It felt like we had stepped back about 25 years in time going from a modern city in the Netherlands to rural West Cork,” he shares.

Fred found work in a piggery six days a week that brought in eight pound a day and, with the help of other odd jobs, eventually the couple saved up enough to buy a ruin of a cottage near Ballygurteen.

“Life was so basic but our surroundings – the wildness of the land, the ocean – were so fantastic, that it made the challenges and insecurity bearable,” says Fred. “The questions we asked ourselves at that time were very simple: ‘Will we keep the roof on tonight or will it blow off!’.” The family didn’t have a car for the first year and Fred recalls cycling to the village of Ballineen from Rossmore to do the shopping. “All I came home with was a white loaf, a floppy cabbage and a few carrots,” he laughs.

While life wasn’t easy, there was a strong sense of community with many lifelong friendships forged. “We were a part of the community and participated in many ‘meitheals’ – bringing in the hay or cutting the turf with our neighbours, helping to do up each other’s houses, that kind of thing,” says Fred.

A member of the West Cork Organic Growers cooperative, which he helped to get off the ground in the mid-eighties, Fred grew a selection of vegetables on their acre of land, as well as rearing fowl, which were sold through the distribution centre at Bridgemount House in Dunmanway. 

A mix of different nationalities mainly farming in the Ballineen area, the West Cork growers broke new and exciting ground in 1987 when they were granted use of the brand new IOFGA (now known as the Irish Organic Association) soil symbol. “It stood for produce grown without the use of pesticides and fertilisers in high quality soil,” says Fred. “We belonged to the first wave of organic farming in Ireland and our aim was not only to grow high quality food but to show our farming neighbours the advantages of organic methods and to influence the way Irish food is produced.”

After he and his wife separated, Fred moved to Clonakilty for a period, where he lived in a tiny flat, finding work with the local Council and joining the famous street theatre group, Craic na Coillte.

In the early 90s, after his divorce was finalised, he settled in Bantry with his two children. It was while living here that he met his longterm partner of 35 years, gardener Julia Kemp. In 1992, they were both involved in the start-up of the healthfood store Essential Foods – better known today as Organico – with Alan Dare, a project which began on a shoestring budget. Around this time Fred was also instrumental in the setting up of the country market in Bantry.

A few years later, in 1996, Fred chaired a group that set up a system of trade in the Bantry area that worked without money, through which people exchanged goods and services.

The LETS (Local Exchange Trading System) in Bantry had its own currency known as BATS (Bantry Area Trading System). It encouraged people to help each other out, operating successfully for a number of years with transactions recorded by means of cheques written in LETS units.

“We traded in whatever anybody had to offer, knitting, babysitting, walking the dog, you name it” says Fred, who was best known for organising ‘meitheals’ and bringing a chef along.

Then the opportunity arose for Fred – who at this stage was an enthusiastic advocate of organic growing and sustainable agriculture – and Julia to be part of a collective purchase of 30 acres of land edged by the River Lee in Ballingeary. They lived at this site, which they named ‘Slí an Uisce’ (Way of the Water), for over 20 years, during which time Fred – living by the principles of permaculture – earned the moniker ‘the man who lives in the polytunnel’, after creating a home and a garden within the confines of a tunnel measuring 9m x 16m. “I wanted to live among my plants,” he says of this extraordinary lifestyle. “It was a continuous learning experience and experiment and inspired so many people.”

In the summer the tunnel was opened up to allow fresh air to circulate and in the winter it was heated by a large stove. Nothing was wasted, with ‘grey’ water and tea leaves emptied directly around the base of the plants to feed them. Fred shared his home with frogs (who helped keep the slug population down), lizards and a friendly musical robin. At night it transformed into a space lit by candles and the full moon. With the smell of flowers, ripening peaches and grapes filling the air during the summer and fresh beans an arms-length from the cooker, it was as close to Utopia as he could get.

Eager to share their experiences and learnings and to bring the community together around food growing, Fred and Julia launched the ‘Bia Ghleann na Laoi’ group, hosting a number of innovative talks and workshops on sustainable practices at Creedon’s Hotel in Inchigeelagh and raising important points around peak oil and food security to different community groups in the Mhúscraí area

A Harvest Festival initiated by ‘Bia Ghleann na Laoi’ provided the launching pad for a  farmers’ market in Inchigeelagh and a community orchard in Ballingeary. Designed by Julia and kindly sponsored by local plant nursery Future Forests – ensuring that local children would be able to pick fruit for years to come – the orchard was planted in collaboration with the village Tidy Towns.

“We wanted to bring the people who produce food and the people who consume it together and open up new ways of doing things in the community, particularly around food resilience,” shares Fred.

In 2016, on World Water Day, the group organised an initiative entitled ‘Salmon Come Back’, focusing on the health of the River Lee and its impact on local communities. 

With the current oil crisis and the world’s food systems dangerously dependent on fossil fuels, Fred’s hope is that the work done by ‘Bia Ghleann na Laoi’ will continue to make a difference at local level.

Fred eventually retired to Bantry back to the same house he lived in before. It’s on a quiet street overlooking the town with a garden that mostly looks after itself. The house is small but comfortable, easily heated by a large stone stove and filled with books, plants and interesting items collected over the years.

He gets around locally by walking or cycling and, if he needs to travel further afield – for instance to visit his children and grandchildren in Glengarriff who he values spending time with – he plans his route using the bus timetable. “We used to be so isolated in West Cork but we have such a good public transport network nowadays that it’s very easy to get around without a car,” he says.

While the Dialogue sessions in Clonakilty ran their course, he still hosts a regular session in Bantry, at the Bridge Street Community Cafe every fortnight on Wednesday mornings.

After a lifetime of doing, today the soft-spoken Dutchman is happy to mostly just be. From his kitchen he has a view of the hawthorn and the wildlife that visit his untamed patch. Fred spends a lot of time here at his table…writing, thinking, listening.

The how and why will always be more important than the finished product to process-driven artist Kathy Kirwan. In fact the end may never be reached, as demonstrated by her most recent and ongoing passion for flax and its many threads writes Mary O’Brien.

Kathy Kirwan’s interest in flax – a plant whose cultivation and use dates back over two thousand years in Ireland – was first sparked close to her home in Clonakilty, a town whose history is inextricably interweaved with this versatile plant in the production of linen. Walks past an old retting pond – where flax would have been soaked to rot away the unusable plant parts – inspired Kathy to explore the labour-intensive process behind flax to fibre and collect stories about the industry from older people in the area.

Born in Birr, Co Offaly, or as she puts it “in the bog in the middle of Ireland”, Kathy has always felt deeply connected to nature. After moving to West Cork to teach geography and PE, she ended up sailing around the world for a couple of years before returning to put down roots with her future husband, a Clonakilty man, and pursue a career as an eco-social artist and educator in sustainability.

As part of the Flax Lín (flax to linen) community, she has been connecting past with present through a ‘Flax – Threads of Time’ project, organising immersive exhibitions and talks and quietly planting the seeds for the revival of flax growing in West Cork. Looking to the future, she says she would love to see the old Linen Hall in Clonakilty turned into a creative space to preserve its rich flax and linen heritage while fostering a vibrant hub that supports local artists, performance, and the evolving cultural future of the community.

This year, 2026, is particularly significant, as it marks 200 years since the collapse of what was once a thriving linen industry in Clonakilty. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the linen industry underwent explosive growth in the area, employing tens of thousands of people until its collapse – almost overnight – in 1826. Local historian Con O’Neill has written a fascinating paper on the economic transformation of Clonakilty through linen in the 18th century. He writes that “the collapse of 1826 was not merely a precursor to the Great Famine; it was the event that dismantled the region’s primary economic defence, leaving a generation of dispossessed weavers and struggling smallholders entirely dependent on the potato…. The long shadow of 1826 stretched across the century that followed, leaving the town economically diminished.”

With the 1936 Flax Bill, the growing of flax experienced a short-lived revival in West Cork, as it offered a good return on investment for local farmers, later encouraged by the guaranteed high price offered for flax following the outbreak of WWII, when linen was needed for RAF aircraft, parachutes and uniforms. “Flax and therefore linen has anti-microbial properties so it was used to make bandages,” adds Kathy. “It was dyed using nettles to create camouflage fabric.”

She shares how flax inspector Patrick Kerr – the father of retired Clonakilty estate agent John Kerr – played a key role in the revival of the flax industry in West Cork following the introduction of the Flax Bill. “Drawing on his extensive experience – particularly from his time in the North of Ireland and Donegal – and comprehensive understanding of the sector, Kerr travelled across West Cork, encouraging farmers to take advantage of the strong opportunity to earn income, emphasising that flax prices were secured at a guaranteed minimum level.”

Five years after the War, in 1950, the suspension of the Flax Act (1936) signalled the beginning of the end for the flax industry in West Cork. The rise of synthetic material, increase in cotton production and changing consumer habits, all contributed to the decline of linen in the 1950s.

“I felt an urgency to collect some of those memories before they were lost,” explains Kathy. ‘Some of the older people I spoke to have since passed away.”

Growing flax takes about 100 days. Once the pretty blue or white flowers have dropped and the seed heads appear, the plants are then pulled, gathered into bundles and dried for two weeks before being retted for up to 15 days, which releases the fibre strands, from which linen is produced. In Ireland, retting was traditionally done in streams or ponds and the resulting foul odour of the decomposing plant was notorious. It was then spread out in fields to dry before being bound and stored, ready for transportation to the mill for scutching, which separated the flax into long finer fibres called line, short coarser fibres called tow, and waste woody matter called shives.

“Nothing goes to waste with the flax plant,” says Kathy. “The shives, used for manufacturing composites, are now being used to make car seats for the McClaren Formula One racing team.”

In an article in the Ardfield/Rathbarry Journal, Michael Collins writes how ‘a good acre of flax would produce between fifty to seventy stone of flax plus a certain amount of tow. This would be sold at the Flax Market in Clonakilty, which was held every four to six weeks, when buyers from Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland would be in attendance.’

The late Johnny Crowley, a well-known owner of a service station in Clonakilty, worked in a retting pond as a young man.

He recalled to Kathy how the workers “would scrub themselves with carbolic soap after a day at the retting pond before going dancing at The Lilac Ballroom in Enniskeane.”

“He laughed as he reminisced to me at the petrol pumps, sharing how as the temperature rose in the ballroom, so too did the smell!”

The late Michael Santry from Lisavaird told Kathy how they would “keep the flax in the ‘seomra maith’ (good room) to mind it” before bringing it to the market in Clonakilty on a Friday.

He also remembered his mother using the flax shives for cooking outside in a bothy (small hut). “As flax was highly flammable, the cooking was done outside the home for safety,” explains Kathy.

In‘Ghosts, Gargoyles and Garages’, a book of childhood memories, Michael Pattwell, a retired Irish District Court judge from Clonakilty, recalled the “long queue of flax laden horses and carts” running the entire length of the street where he grew up.

As a young boy, Michael created the enterprising role of minding the farmers’ places in the queue when they “would drift into Santry’s pub for a pint or two or three”.

“I was employed to hold the reins and move the horse along and when the owners turn was about to be reached, to dash into the pub and get him out to take control again.

“With that, shilling in pocket, I ran back up the queue and it  wasn’t long before I was employed again. This continued for the entire day – especially when the market was held on days when there was no school – or for the evening if it was a school day. The longer the queue the better, because the longer the farmer was in the pub, then the more he drank and this often blurred the difference between a shilling, a two-shilling piece or even a half-crown.”

Michael O’Sullivan from Rosscarbery, 91, is a treasure trove of memories. He learned about the complex process of flax production from his father, James O’Sullivan, a flax inspector. He shared how his father tested the quality of seed collected from local farmers on blotting paper at their home.

Michael also recalled how fine rushes were placed on the flax in the retting pond before being weighted down with heavy stones to keep the flax from rising. “I remember we had to walk on the flax morning and night during this period to ensure that it was kept below water level.”

His remembers accompanying his father to the Linen Hall in Clonakilty where Wilsons of Belfast would come to purchase flax for linen production. “Very often Wilson’s of Belfast would ask my father to assist them with the vetting process when determining the quality of the flax. This was an unenviable task for my father to have to vet his neighbour’s flax but people trusted his judgement, as he was known to be such an honest man.”

With the once busy mills now lying in ruin around West Cork, memories are all that remain of West Cork’s linen legacy. However, flax enthusiasts like Kathy are driving a resurgence of the hardy and versatile plant in their communities around the world. Kathy is a member of Fibreshed Ireland, a global movement that focuses on regenerative fashion using locally grown fibres. “As demand grows for sustainable fibres, flax may offer a potential diversification route for smaller farms,” she says. “It’s also being looked at as a tool to restore soil health and decarbonise industries.

“You could say I’m obsessed with it,” she admits laughing. “It really is a fascinating plant, even more so because of its history in West Cork”

While she currently has her head down joining pieces of cordage together for the ‘Flax 405: From Mallon to Mizen’ shared island project, which will launch online on May 1, future flax projects are never far from mind.

“405km is the winding distance between Mallon Linen in Co. Tyrone and Mizen Head in Co. Cork so the objective of the project,” she explains “is to engage communities across the island in creating 405 equivalent pieces of flax rope, thread and linen that symbolically weave together our shared past, present, and future.”

Over the coming months, Kathy is organising a number of flax events in West Cork, including the planting of flax around Clonakilty through local community groups and farmers, an interactive experience outside the Linen Hall in Clonakilty as part of the Old Time Fair and a flax harvesting event and craft workshops during Heritage Week.

One of the flax planting projects will take place at Fernhill House Hotel, a site historically surrounded by retting ponds and flax fields. This year’s planting coincides with the bicentenary of both the collapse of the local linen industry and the founding of Fernhill House. In September, Kathy and the hotel will also welcome a group of 25 textile enthusiasts from the United States.

Ten years ago, Simon Kershaw landed in West Cork fresh from a decade of cooking across America – first in Boston, then San Francisco and New Orleans. Time flies when you’re doing something you love and it wasn’t long before the Dublin native branched out on his own with ’Ceapairí’.

After working for a time at Gubbeen, where he dipped his toes into cheesemaking before moving to the smokehouse, the spark to start up his own food business originated from a classic: the Reuben. “It’s still my favourite sandwich,” says Simon. He started curing his own salt beef, baking his own bread, and chasing that perfect toasted sandwich.

With the purchase of a food truck and Simon baking bread, with Liz on the sweet treats, anyone smart enough to seek them out discovered what ‘proper’ toasted sandwiches tasted like. The Reuben was the star: The key ingredient – rye and wholemeal sourdough – was perfected while Simon was working with Ryan at Pike Deli in Clonakilty. That recipe hasn’t changed and Pike Deli still supplies the sourdough bread.

What really sets this small business apart is the sheer amount of work done in-house. Almost everything is made from scratch, and for the few things that aren’t, Simon buys the best he can afford.

The latest chapter has seen ‘Ceapairí’ settle into its first proper home: the Kitchen Stories space on Staball Hill in Ballydehob. It’s a step up from the food truck days, offering room to experiment and grow. Alongside the move came a new online ordering platform at ceapairi.tenvito.com, built with the help of Suz at Tenvito. The system has been a game-changer with less food waste, better organisation, and the peace of mind for customers travelling from afar that their sandwich is waiting for them – no sold-out disappointments.

With a restaurant now under his belt, Simon is looking ahead. The sandwich menu remains the anchor of the business, but nighttime cooking and expanded offerings are on the horizon. “The sky’s the limit,” he says.

Through it all, the local community has been of great support. Joanne, the owner of Kitchen Stories, has been generous with her time and knowledge and the well-wishers and regulars are part of this success story.

For a cook who loves to feed people, there’s no greater gift than doing it in the town you call home.

Keep an eye on Instagram for more updates.

When Méabh and Ronan, the creators of OTOFU, the West Cork tofu company, first met, they spent their weekends going for long, blustery walks on the beaches of West Cork, followed by hours cooking up delicious meals together.  

Although they are neither vegan nor vegetarian, the pair particularly enjoy Asian cuisine and a plant-rich diet. And they ‘love’ tofu. In fact, it was this love that inspired them to start OTOFU in the first place. They wanted to show people how deliciously versatile tofu can be, how easy it is to cook, and the many, many health benefits that go with it.

Based in Ballylickey, just outside Bantry, OTOFU is now in its fourth year. During this time, Méabh and Ronan have moved house (twice!), and renovated their home with their two young boys in tow. It has been a wild ride so far.

You really don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy tofu. It is a highly versatile food and cooking it is as simple as frying it in a pan with a little oil. You can roast it in the oven, pop it in the air-fryer, or even just chop it up straight from the pack and throw it into a curry. You can breadcrumb it, tear it, ‘fillet’ it, mince it, scramble it, cook it in a meat based dish or just marinade it to get the flavours you want. You can even freeze it (be sure to defrost for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking), which changes the texture to be crispier and chewier, as well as allowing it to absorb way more marinade, like a sponge. There are so many different things to be done with tofu it is definitely worth experimenting to find your favourite way to enjoy this super food (see some of Méabh and Ronan’s top recipes below).

In the past, people have called tofu tasteless and boring – it is anything but! It is a blank canvas for the flavours ‘you’ want to add to it. And OTOFU’s handmade tofu makes the perfect canvas. Many vegan and vegetarian protein alternatives are often highly processed with long lists of ingredients. But tofu just had two key ingredients, and making it is similar to making cheese. OTOFU employs the same traditional, basic process that has been used for hundreds of years. 

Ronan makes the tofu himself fresh every week. He has a background in food production and artisanal cheesemaking and is a true craftsman in everything he turns his hand to. Meanwhile, Méabh looks after all of the marketing, administration, orders, and even delivers the tofu herself. You might have seen her zipping around West Cork and Cork City in the company van. This is a family-run, family-owned, local business in the truest sense. And unlike many products which decline in quality over time, OTOFU’s tofu has only gotten better. With some help from modern machinery and a grant from the Cork North and West Local Enterprise Office, the company have been able to triple their output per day, since they began trading, while ensuring the quality stays at the very top.

And it is not only a delicious, versatile food – tofu is really good for you. It is what’s called a ‘complete protein’. To get a bit technical for a second, basically our bodies need different combinations of amino acids to make the proteins that we need to live a healthy life. However, we can only get nine of these amino acids through food, as the body can’t make them itself. Tofu contains all nine of these essential amino acids, making it a ‘complete protein’, which is similar to eating meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. Many other sources of plant-based proteins are ‘incomplete’ and need to be combined with other foods. The goodness from these foods is then harder to absorb into the body, which means you have to eat more of them – and also absorb more calories and fat – to get the same effect. This isn’t the case with tofu. It really is a super food.

Also OTOFU only uses organic, European grown, non-GMO soybeans, so there are no links to deforestation and they are certified in Ireland with the Organic Trust. The company is also the only Irish tofu you’ll find in your health shops or on the supermarket shelves, with all the other brands being imported.

Have you heard enough? Curious to try it for yourself? Well, fulfill that curious craving by cooking OTOFU, and in doing so support a lighter way to live, locally.

Some of Méabh and Ronan’s favourite ways to eat tofu include:  

Oven roasted Korean chilli tofu, served with Asian slaw and home cooked oven chips, with a side of kimchi and spicy pink sauce (mix mayo, ketchup and hot sauce).

Air-fried Miso sesame tofu, tossed in corn-starch and drizzled with a little veg oil before air-frying for 20 mins at 200 degrees Celsius, shaking a few times while cooking, served with tamari noodles, sesame seeds and broccolini (a favourite for the kids).

Miso and Mushroom Stew, using homemade chicken broth or veg stock, with a miso paste, chunks of plain tofu, mushrooms, courgettes onions and red chillies, served with spring onions, toasted sesame oil and bowls of steaming rice.

Breadcrumbed fillets of tofu – to create the fillets, slice a block of plain OTOFU lengthways in two and then in half again crossways, marinade in soy sauce or tamari for 10-15 mins. Dip lightly in flour or corn starch, roll in seasoned breadcrumbs (or even better home-made herby stuffing) and shallow fry in a generous amount of veg oil on all sides until golden and crispy. Serve with mashed potato, roasted veg and herby, red wine onion gravy if desired.

For full information on all recipes please follow OTOFU.ie on Instagram.

Annmarie Menzies and Ryan Hoy, originally from East Cork and Fermanagh, share a passion for food. After years of working in a variety of food businesses both in Ireland and abroad,  the couple, along with their young daughter, relocated to West Cork seven years ago seeking a life in nature. Running their own food business remained “an itch they couldn’t ignore” and, in 2023, Annmarie and Ryan opened Pike Deli in Clonakilty together.

Annmarie, who initially trained in fine art, is a painter inspired by the surrounding countryside and coastline. Alongside her creative pursuits, she has spent many years working in the food industry. Ryan, meanwhile, has dedicated over two decades to working in kitchens, where he developed a particular fascination with bread-making, which would later become central to their shared venture.

Fully aware of the challenges facing small independent businesses, they approached their business venture with both realism and determination. Their aim was not only to sustain a business but to create an inspiring work environment, built around a close-knit team and a shared love of good food.

From the outset, ingredients have been centre-stage at Pike Deli. Living in West Cork provides access to an abundance of small-scale, local suppliers: Vegetables from John in Timoleague, Mark in Bealad, Lea in Ballydehob and Jason in Ardfield; milk from Paddy in Kilbrittain; chocolates from Niamh in Clonakilty; fresh eggs from Declan; flowers from Renée in Ballydehob; oils, cheeses and meats from Gik; butchery from the Allshires; and pantry items from Jenny and Toby.

Flour is the cornerstone of their business. Recognising its importance, both in quality and cost, they chose to work with Wildfarmed in the UK, a company leading the way in regenerative wheat production. Their methods – growing wheat in diverse, polycropped systems and focusing on soil health – aligned with Annmarie and Ryan’s values. While they hope to eventually source grain locally, they acknowledge that Ireland’s grain culture is still developing, though promising progress is being made with heritage and alternative grains. “This is an exciting time for Irish flour. Keep your eyes peeled for feature loaves on the shelves in 2026,” says Ryan.

Since opening, they have witnessed a significant rise in demand for authentic sourdough bread. “Real sourdough, not to be confused with the surreptitiously marketed supermarket ‘sourdough’ or ‘sourfaux’ as it’s known in baking circles, is made using flour, water and salt,” explains Ryan. “Nothing else. No magic chemicals to suspend its decay, no water from the fountain of youth, just simple grains and healthy bacteria doing the work so your gut doesn’t have to.”

Looking ahead, the couple will continue to focus on baking and selling high-quality bread, source the most nutritious and flavourful grains available, and educate customers about the value of real sourdough. They believe that once people embrace it as a staple, there is little need to return to conventional sliced bread.

Reflecting on their journey so far, the highlights extend beyond the products themselves. The sense of community – both within their team and among their customers – has been a highlight. “Our chefs creating a magical sweet pastry in high summer, using in season fruit from a few kilometres away, seeing the pride in their faces as it lands on the counter. The sheer, childlike joy on a customer’s face, as they try to navigate its journey down their gullet. It’s the exact reason we all keep going!”

Partners in life and business, The Fish Basket’s owners, Peter and Elaine Shanahan, are celebrating eight successful years at this popular coastal location. What started out as a humble food truck serving fish and chips at the side of the road in Rosscarbery is now a thriving all-year-round business with summer opening hours – 9am-6pm seven days a week – kicking off at the end of June.

While Peter and Elaine are hands-on in the business, they credit their team with the smooth running of this operation. “We’ve a great team who have been with us a long time,” says Peter. The couple run a tight ship and when Peter’s not prepping fish or chipping potatoes, he is managing front-of-house, while chef and baker Elaine keeps the kitchen running smoothly and is responsible for all the delicious home-baked goods on display. Their three children also help out.

Serving breakfast, lunch and West Cork Coffee, The Fish Basket offers a small but consistent great value menu using quality, seasonal and local ingredients wherever possible: The fish comes from Glenmar in UnionHall and the organic salad leaves are grown in Bantry by Radical Roots.

While fish and chips is a firm favourite, the scampi and fish tacos also rank very favourably with customers.

Inside you’ll find a warm inviting space with a quirky collection of memorabilia and vintage furniture, all with a story to tell. Signs like ‘Swimsuits are optional beyond this point’ induce the occasional double take on the way to the toilet and you might just find yourself eating fish and chips on a tailor’s table salvaged from Savile Row. The large mirror on the wall has travelled all the way from a train station in Russia while the old phone once belonged to Limerick Prison. “There’s a story to the story in this place,” says Peter laughing.

Out front the covered seating area offers the best view of the ocean and dogs (and their owners) are welcome to enjoy the space.

While Peter and Elaine aren’t afraid to dream big, with the current economic climate bringing a myriad of challenges, they don’t want to rock the boat for now. “We’re happy just to keep our standard high and customers happy,” says Peter. Looking to the future, he says their hope would be to open seven days a week all year round.

The Fish Basket is currently open Thursday-Monday, 9am-5pm. Summer hours kick in at the end of June. Keep an eye on their Socials – updated regularly by Liz of Coffee House Creative – for more details.

Check out the menu at www.thefishbasket.ie.

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 stones) near Skibbereen. “That should tell you everything,” she tells Mary O’Brien, laughing. Determined to bypass the Industrial Revolution altogether, by pairing the hardy, ancient genetics of Belted Galloway cattle with holistic animal health principles and organic standards, Claire has built a ‘birth-to-burger’ enterprise that prioritises animal welfare and soil health above all else.

Before becoming a farmer, Claire studied and worked in horticulture before going on to study and qualify as a homeopath.

She has fond memories of a childhood with her grandfather, when they “tilled small fields of fodder beet, potato’s and mangles with a single draft horse”. Mainstream methods of farming felt unsuited to her, as she had “neither the capital or motivation to intensively reclaim or fertilise such a rough landscape or to erect a large slatted shed that would never seen a return of my investment”.

Initially Claire bought four heifers from County Clare, “raising more than a few eyebrows as the breed was a rare and peculiar sight at the time.” In 2011 she acquired a bull, and in 2013 she slaughtered her first animal and sold weanlings. The frozen meat proved a difficult sell at the time. In 2015 she completed a diploma in Speciality Food production at UCC to better familiarise herself with food legislation, labelling, safety and training. Through this course she many gained friends but also confidence in what she was producing – a quality and ethical product.

In 2017 her friend Andy was selling his small food trailer and, as she puts it, “the rest as they say is history”.

Her hot food stall is now a regular sight at the Skibbereen Farmers’ Market every Saturday, and from Easter Sunday and every Sunday until the end of September at Schull Country Market. The main attraction is the Belted Galloway organic Beef Burger on a choice of bread roll – sourdough, ancient grain or brioche – with cheddar or Gubbeen cheese, and homegrown organic onions, tomatoes, gerkins and salad. They also serve a breakfast with the same choice of bread, an organic egg, Baltimore Pig (nitrite free) bacon and homegrown organic onions, salad and tomatoes.  Claire says it’s “a great sense of satisfaction when you serve the beef burger, salad, tomatoes, onions and lettuce that you have grown and cooked yourself!” A selection of frozen meat is always available at the stall.

Claire began her conversion to organic farming in 2010, “sure of the fact that I would continue to farm the land in the way it had always been done”. Having sold the remaining animals, she researched what sort of animal would best fit the habitat, and “landed on the Belted Galloway”, a breed that thrives on a grass-based diet and natural grazing. “They have a longer gastro-intestinal tract, which gives them the pot-bellied appearance, better to extract nutrients from rough grazing and convert into a nutrient dense meat. The breed has the rare ability to marble first and then put on backfat, they do not develop much fat under their hides; instead have a double coat of hair which provides excellent protection in cold, wet and windy weather, perfect for out wintering. They are naturally polled so no requirement for dehorning.” Excess grass in summertime is baled as haylage and supplementary fed so the herd can maintain a natural life as possible. “They are easy calving and excellent mothers so need minimal intervention.”

Claire believes that it has never been more important than now to move away from large-scale, long chain food production to more local agriculture. “Where food production systems rely upon a network of small, usually sustainably-run, family farms, which takes into consideration; the soil type and climate lending to the type of crop or animal to be grown there,” she explains. In her opinion, “Organic farming has not got the dependency on artificial fertilisers, vaccines, antibiotics, vaccines or petrochemicals.”

Homeopathy –  a system of medicine that uses highly diluted substances to trigger the body’s natural healing – plays a significant role in her farming practice. “A key principle would be the observation of signs and symptoms indicating the nature of the imbalance, be that plant or animal or human,” shares Claire, who has used homeopathy in a variety of cases such as calf scour, retained cleaning and a horse with an eye injury. In 2019 she did some training with Homeopathy at Wellie Level to teach the responsible use of homeopathy on the farm, though “Covid brought this to a halt”.

Farming has not been without its challenges. Beginning in September 2024, her herd succumbed to TB. “I ended up losing just under half my herd which included my in-calf cows and heifers, along with the genetics built up over the years.” In 2025, with much reduced stock, she wasn’t sure she would continue, but in November she purchased six organic Belted Galloways from Brennus on Cape Clear. “As the seasons have rolled around new calves have arrived from the remaining herd and life on the farm has returned to normal.”

Looking back, Claire reflects that “things have progressed so far, I never set out to be producing and cooking all my own produce at the Farmers’ markets but I suppose each step borrowed another and as you try to hone and perfect each stage you realise you’re halfway through something else!”

Her philosophy on animal welfare is clear: “An animal that is reared on a natural diet, with its mother, in its family grouping – free of pain and unnecessary intervention – gives it the best chance to be as healthy as possible and without vaccines and antibiotics; and when the time comes – to be transported and handled and slaughtered humanely. I think the consumer appreciates the fact that the animal, which is consumed, is well-looked-after from birth to death, lives a relatively free and good life. As humans, if we are choosing to eat meat, that is the least we can do for the animal who gives his or her life. That every step in that journey is carried out in the best interest of that animal.”

Each stage of the process has been a huge learning curve, from the animal rearing to handling and cooking the end product. The slaughtering process, meat hanging and cutting is carried out by MJ O’Neills in Clonakilty, “whose expertise is vital and without whose help none of it would be possible”.

Farmers’ markets provide more than just income. “Farmers markets are a huge social hub and have a huge sense of community so I do look forward to starting back after a long winter just feeding and talking to cows!” She still keeps horses and enjoys regular lessons, having purchased a young Irish Draught mare which she’s breaking in at the moment. “Of course the horses give the benefit of a mixed grazing system which is very important in organic farming as it interrupts the parasite life cycle. As if I need an excuse!”

Recently Claire has joined the pop up shop at Levis’ in Ballydehob to sell a selection of frozen organic meat. It is a one stop shop for tasty local ingredients in an iconic setting from 9:30am to 12:30pm each Wednesday.

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 to the cows contentedly chewing the cud on the green pastures a stone’s throw from the shop – you won’t get much closer to the ‘from farm to fork’ (or in this case ‘from farm to bottle’) experience than this. Happy cows lead to happy customers and the rich creaminess of the pasteurised, non-homogenised milk from the McCarthy herd and the consistent footfall since the coastal farm shop opened last July is testament to this writes Mary O’Brien.

The 39-acre dairy farm on the Old Head has been in the family for generations – inherited from the Dempsey’s – and today is run by Gerard McCarthy and his son Stephen. Originally operating as a dry stock and tillage farm, Gerard and his wife Anne transitioned into dairy in the mid-1990s when new entrant schemes made it viable, starting modestly with just 14 cows. “Times were very different back then,” notes Gerard, reflecting on a time before milk quotas were abolished in 2015. That regulatory change allowed the herd to expand significantly and today the McCarthy’s milk around eighty cows.

For years, the natural rhythm of a busy dairy farm meant early mornings and long days, with both Gerard and Stephen also working off farm – Gerard as a general builder and Stephen as a carpenter.

“We were burning the candle at both ends,” says Stephen, who was eager to spend more time with his young family.  The solution came in the form of a farm shop, an idea sparked by similar successful ventures in the UK and Northern Ireland.

After researching equipment and visiting other farm milk shops, the family took the plunge in 2021 once approval was granted from the Department of Agriculture. Stephen and Gerard designed the layout of the shop and started building, making a sizeable investment into vending machines and a top-of-the-range pasteurisation system. The result is a sleek, user-friendly operation that bridges traditional farming and modern convenience.

With Stephen’s wife, Louise, the creative force behind the initiative, the farm shop, which opened at the end of July last year, has transformed their operation.

Behind the scenes, raw milk travels via pipeline from the milking parlour’s bulk tank across the yard to a dedicated pasteurisation room – an immaculate space with resin floors and stainless steel fixtures. There, the milk is heated to 76-78 degrees Celsius, cooled through regeneration, and chilled to 4-5 degrees before storage. Every batch undergoes rigorous testing: antibiotic checks pre-pasteurisation and phosphatase tests post-pasteurisation to ensure harmful bacteria are eliminated. “It’s spotless,” says Stephen of the room, where data loggers track temperatures for Department of Agriculture compliance.

Front of house, customers find a self-service experience designed with sustainability at its core. Glass bottles – €3.50 for a litre, €2.50 for a half-litre – are purchased once and returned for refills, eliminating single-use plastic. The milk itself, pasteurised but non-homogenised – €2 for a litre and €1 for a half-litre – retains its natural cream line. “If you leave it settling for a couple of hours, you’ll see a layer of cream sitting on top,” explains Stephen. “Give it a shake and you’ve got that fuller consistency.” The difference from standard shop-bought milk is immediately apparent – parents frequently report that children who refuse milk at home will happily drink the McCarthys’ creamy offering, often enhanced with flavourings available via an honesty box.

The shop also serves freshly ground coffee and hot chocolate – milky and delicious due to the creamy milk – and has outdoor seating, which is particularly popular with beach-goers and walkers exploring the Old Head loop. “We get a lot of walkers,” says Stephen, noting that even on quiet winter mornings, half a dozen cars might fill the car park on a nice day. The family atmosphere extends to the business itself: daughters Amelia (6) and Shóna (4) have their own jobs, emptying bins and stacking bottles, while Louise manages the decor and daily cleaning.

The operation remains deliberately local. Unlike supplying the co-operative, which they still do with the bulk of their milk, the shop requires customers to come to the source. “We kind of want to stay around here,” says Stephen, explaining that delivery would add unsustainable complexity.

Instead, they focus on the experience: fresh milk drawn from cows grazing with ocean views, served in a spotless facility where the connection between land, animal, and product is tangible.

As the McCarthys look ahead, possibilities include school tours and expanded community engagement, though for now, the business remains focused on quality and sustainability. With the cows just metres from the vending machines, Old Head Milk offers a genuine taste of place, bottled fresh by the family who raised it.