My Country Living: a jack of all trades

I’m a suckler and tillage farmer in Kilrush in north Wexford, a secondary school teacher in Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew, Co Wicklow, and now I am finishing up the first semester of a two-year master’s in Dublin City University (DCU) to become a counsellor for farmers and students.

finding the balance

I did my undergraduate degree in sociology and geography in Maynooth. I would have always been interested in people and how their lives work, why we make decisions and the dynamics of everything in our lives. I would have had the sense that therapy or counselling would have been the road I’d like to have gone down.

I decided to change careers because banking and farming didn’t really work together

When this opportunity came up, it seemed like the right time, so I took it on.

It’s helped me with my schoolwork, as well as with students, and maybe I could be a first responder to them too.

In my early career I worked in the banking sector for six years. I decided to change careers because banking and farming didn’t really work together.

I had enough of the private sector, so I said I would go public

So I decided that I needed a career that would have a balance between the two. I felt that I was a people person so I decided that teaching might be the way to go. It gives me the best work-life balance for someone who wants to farm too.

I had enough of the private sector, so I said I would go public. I now teach geography, RSE (relationship and sexuality education), SPHE (social, personal and health education), CSPE (civic social and political education) and hopefully career guidance too after this course.

If there’s the opportunity, I’ll take it on. I’m kind of a jack of all trades.

early intervention

I see that there’s a big gap for someone like me to be a counsellor to farmers. I just feel that there’s a bit of a niche there because farmers really have no one.

I want to be able to help them but with more serious cases, I would be there for early intervention

I’m not looking to make money, that’s not the issue. I am hoping to become the first responder for farmers, to bridge the gap between farmers and health professionals.

I want to be able to help them but with more serious cases, I would be there for early intervention.

Some people might need more, which is where I’ll say: “Listen, I can only go so far here, I will refer you on a psychotherapist or maybe you should go and see your GP.” I definitely can relate to farmers, I can literally feel their pain because I’m going through it too.

If there’s nothing physically wrong with a farmer, he’s not likely to go to the doctor.

It’s not up to me to tell them the answers

Farmers don’t usually look at their mental health as anything wrong with them, they just say: “Ah I have to get on with it.” But they don’t actually see it as a key factor of their whole wellbeing.

If the top two inches of their heads are not correct, their physical health can suffer drastically. I want to help them, help themselves.

They know the answers but sometimes it takes time for somebody to realise the answers. It’s not up to me to tell them the answers.

We all need someone to talk to

Their first and biggest step is to come in the door and once they have done that, they are a bit of the way there. We all need someone to talk to, to bounce ideas off or to rant to. I want to give them a safe space to talk.

Practice what you preach

I think farmers need to give themselves a bit of self care. They might say they do, but a day or two out at the Ploughing is not really enough.

I still ride a lot of horses and I do showing with the horses in the summer. That’s my self care

In my younger years I would have played rugby with Enniscorthy and I would have hurled with Kilrush.

I still ride a lot of horses and I do showing with the horses in the summer. That’s my self care. It’s hard to balance work and the farm and the master’s but I’m managing.

I’ll get a rest over Christmas and we’ll kick on after the break. I have a baby son, he’s 19 months so it’s a very busy time.

niche market

Recently, I’ve gone down a new path and I’m in the process of converting to organic tillage.

It’s a niche market but it will be good because I can’t compete as much with acreage. Any meetings I’ve gone to, in regards of organic tillage, there’s always been companies keen for it.

If you’re a one-man band you need the safety and good facilities

With the sucklers I make it work. In winter, it’s literally just feeding. I won’t be calving till late spring. I find it’s important to have good facilities at home.

If you’re a one-man band you need the safety and good facilities and then it’s just a matter of feeding, bedding and keeping things afloat this time of the year.

If the facilities weren’t good, it would just put an extra hassle and hardship on yourself that is not necessary.

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