I was raised on a small dairy and pig farm in north Monaghan and was always surrounded by agriculture. My mother did a lot of the milking, as well as raising five children. After completing my Leaving Cert, I went to work with Ulster Bank and my first post was to Donegal town, followed by a five year stint in Ardee, Co Louth.
When I eventually got posted back to Clones in 1986, I married my neighbour and local dairy farmer, Paddy Rafferty. I ended my banking career in 1990 when my eldest daughter Denise was born.
Debbie Colton and vet Aiden McKenna (sponsor) join Mary at the YMA calf show BBQ.
I have two daughters, Denise and Andrea. I gladly joined Paddy on the farm and together with the girls, we worked to improve and expand our dairy enterprise. We went on to buy our first pedigree cow from the late Seamús Kelly’s famous Moneymore herd in Drogheda.
This purchase initiated our interest in pedigree stock and we began to attend some of the activities organised by the local Breffni Oriel Holstein Friesian club. This in turn led to me joining the committee and becoming secretary.
We progressed and upgraded our own herd to pedigree status and I worked with the Friesian club alongside that. It worked well, as people knew that I would be at home and could be contacted at any time.
Irish Holstein Friesian Association
When I started in my role as secretary, all I had was a list of approximately 60 names and back then members were notified of upcoming meetings by postcard. So I really started with very little and I suppose we built it up bit by bit.
We added new technology as we went along. I bought myself a typewriter and that’s where we all started from, it was all manual work. The club grew from 68 members to about 130 and it was a lot of work; paperwork and typing and photocopying. 
Mary and other Breffni/Oriel committee members at the annual Herd Competition prize giving.
I liked to start the year by notifying members of all club events planned for the year ahead, producing a calendar of events taking place from late spring until the summer holidays. That would really be our busy time, with herd competitions, calf shows, and stock judging evenings all taking place.
In the past, we went on many trips abroad. I am indebted to my friend Mildred Morton for her help with these events. We went to Canada in 1996. It was a very big undertaking, but it was a very successful trip. We also went to Holland, Austria, the Royal Show in England, the Highland show a couple of times and lots of other places.
In recent years, we visited the UCD farm in the Lyons Estate. At the time,v my daughter Denise was working there while doing her master’s. We have visited farms both sides of the border as well, taking in many interesting visitor attractions.
Our own club hosted the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) open day in 1996 on the farm of club members David and Kenny Boyd and there was a huge crowd. We couldn’t anticipate what was coming down the line – about 1,200 people came.
Award
The board of the IHFA annually nominate a member to represent the Holstein/Friesian Breed at the Hall Of Fame awards. In 2016, I was chosen to represent the IHFA in recognition of my work as club secretary and my work in promoting the black and white breed.
The day I was told I was nominated for it, I thought they were pulling my leg. Together with my family and club members, we went to Athlone and we had a great evening. I’m very honoured to have received this award.
Family
My oldest girl Denise did her agricultural science degree and Masters in UCD and now works for Thompson’s Feed in Belfast as a dairy cow nutritionist. Andrea went to Greenmount Agricultural College in Antrim and is now breeding advisor for Worldwide Sires, so they are both working in the agricultural industry, something I am very proud of.
Mary Rafferty with her Daughter Andrea and husband Paddy at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association's Hall of Fame awards.
I suppose they had some influence from me. In their younger years, they joined the young members association (YMA) within the Breffni Oriel club, which advanced their interest.
Retired
I stepped back from the Breffni/Oriel committee at the AGM last November. I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied. I’m treasurer of the local community employment (CE) scheme and a member of the parish finance and maintenance committee and I can’t forget my role on the family farm with Paddy.
Mary Rafferty earned a place in the Irish Holstein Friesian Association's Hall of Fame in 2016
The club kept me very busy over many summers and we did so much travelling, from events in Virginia, Co Cavan to Glaslough, Co Monaghan and from Ballyconnell to Ballybay. I have met and made some very good friends at the club and I’d have no problem going back to ask for anything or meet up and discuss anything with them.
I will always look back fondly on my years within the Breffni Oriel club and I will continue to attend club events, IHFA events and of course, my day-to-day work on our own farm will always keep me rooted in agriculture and the black and white breed.
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I was raised on a small dairy and pig farm in north Monaghan and was always surrounded by agriculture. My mother did a lot of the milking, as well as raising five children. After completing my Leaving Cert, I went to work with Ulster Bank and my first post was to Donegal town, followed by a five year stint in Ardee, Co Louth.
When I eventually got posted back to Clones in 1986, I married my neighbour and local dairy farmer, Paddy Rafferty. I ended my banking career in 1990 when my eldest daughter Denise was born.
Debbie Colton and vet Aiden McKenna (sponsor) join Mary at the YMA calf show BBQ.
I have two daughters, Denise and Andrea. I gladly joined Paddy on the farm and together with the girls, we worked to improve and expand our dairy enterprise. We went on to buy our first pedigree cow from the late Seamús Kelly’s famous Moneymore herd in Drogheda.
This purchase initiated our interest in pedigree stock and we began to attend some of the activities organised by the local Breffni Oriel Holstein Friesian club. This in turn led to me joining the committee and becoming secretary.
We progressed and upgraded our own herd to pedigree status and I worked with the Friesian club alongside that. It worked well, as people knew that I would be at home and could be contacted at any time.
Irish Holstein Friesian Association
When I started in my role as secretary, all I had was a list of approximately 60 names and back then members were notified of upcoming meetings by postcard. So I really started with very little and I suppose we built it up bit by bit.
We added new technology as we went along. I bought myself a typewriter and that’s where we all started from, it was all manual work. The club grew from 68 members to about 130 and it was a lot of work; paperwork and typing and photocopying.
Mary and other Breffni/Oriel committee members at the annual Herd Competition prize giving.
I liked to start the year by notifying members of all club events planned for the year ahead, producing a calendar of events taking place from late spring until the summer holidays. That would really be our busy time, with herd competitions, calf shows, and stock judging evenings all taking place.
In the past, we went on many trips abroad. I am indebted to my friend Mildred Morton for her help with these events. We went to Canada in 1996. It was a very big undertaking, but it was a very successful trip. We also went to Holland, Austria, the Royal Show in England, the Highland show a couple of times and lots of other places.
In recent years, we visited the UCD farm in the Lyons Estate. At the time,v my daughter Denise was working there while doing her master’s. We have visited farms both sides of the border as well, taking in many interesting visitor attractions.
Our own club hosted the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) open day in 1996 on the farm of club members David and Kenny Boyd and there was a huge crowd. We couldn’t anticipate what was coming down the line – about 1,200 people came.
Award
The board of the IHFA annually nominate a member to represent the Holstein/Friesian Breed at the Hall Of Fame awards. In 2016, I was chosen to represent the IHFA in recognition of my work as club secretary and my work in promoting the black and white breed.
The day I was told I was nominated for it, I thought they were pulling my leg. Together with my family and club members, we went to Athlone and we had a great evening. I’m very honoured to have received this award.
Family
My oldest girl Denise did her agricultural science degree and Masters in UCD and now works for Thompson’s Feed in Belfast as a dairy cow nutritionist. Andrea went to Greenmount Agricultural College in Antrim and is now breeding advisor for Worldwide Sires, so they are both working in the agricultural industry, something I am very proud of.
Mary Rafferty with her Daughter Andrea and husband Paddy at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association's Hall of Fame awards.
I suppose they had some influence from me. In their younger years, they joined the young members association (YMA) within the Breffni Oriel club, which advanced their interest.
Retired
I stepped back from the Breffni/Oriel committee at the AGM last November. I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied. I’m treasurer of the local community employment (CE) scheme and a member of the parish finance and maintenance committee and I can’t forget my role on the family farm with Paddy.
Mary Rafferty earned a place in the Irish Holstein Friesian Association's Hall of Fame in 2016
The club kept me very busy over many summers and we did so much travelling, from events in Virginia, Co Cavan to Glaslough, Co Monaghan and from Ballyconnell to Ballybay. I have met and made some very good friends at the club and I’d have no problem going back to ask for anything or meet up and discuss anything with them.
I will always look back fondly on my years within the Breffni Oriel club and I will continue to attend club events, IHFA events and of course, my day-to-day work on our own farm will always keep me rooted in agriculture and the black and white breed.
Read more
My Country Living: 'we all have our accidents, it’s part of growing up'
Sound advice
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