I’m 17 and I live on my family’s sheep farm near Gorey, Co Wexford. I’m the youngest of six children – there’s Edward, Elizabeth, Alice, Martha, Jonathan and myself. I farm with my parents, John and Margaret, and my brother Edward. In the main flock, we have 300 breeding ewes on 80ac.
My sister Elizabeth loves sheep as much as I do. She has a PhD in sheep and bought me my first Border Leicester ewe for my 11th birthday. After that, I just fell in love with the breed. I’ve built the Border Leicesters up to eight ewes this year.
Last year, I went to the local mart and got three Kerry Hill ewe lambs. I lambed them down this year with the Border Leicesters.
Gillian Earle has eight Border Leicester ewes.
This year, my father gave me 2ac, so I have my own little flock of sheep on that. When I first got the Border Leicesters, my da wasn’t really sure what way they were going to turn out, but he loves them as much as I do now.
I registered with the breed society this year, under the name Cullentra Boarder Leicesters. I felt this year was the right time, as I had a nice number of sheep and I was ready to take it on.
Having my own little flock and my own paddocks is great. I can dose them myself and things like that. I feel independent. When I go to college, my dad is going to mind them – he’s backing me as much as anyone.
Early start
Since I was a child, I was always with my da up the yard – you couldn’t keep me inside. When he was going off in the tractor, I always wanted to go with him. I always wanted to be with the sheep and have pet lambs. When I started getting pets, I was hooked.
We usually have 25 to 30 pet lambs every year – a friend of the family usually gives us a few on top of our own. I rear them on the bottle and put them on to a bucket feeder. They’re great characters. You’re out in the field and they’re running for you. There’s a lot of work in pets. As Da always says: “You have to love them to work with them”.
Me and my da, whatever he’s thinking, I’m nearly always thinking the same thing
My father won the Independent Zurich Sheep Farmer of the Year award last year. He deserved it. He left school at 14 and came home to farm. He’s built it up now and everything he gets, he deserves. Me and my da, whatever he’s thinking, I’m nearly always thinking the same thing. If we’re looking at sheep, we would be thinking the same thing or have the same idea.
Gillian Earle's flock.
The main breeds we have are Texel, Suffolk, Charollais and Border Leicester cross-ewes. The farm is literally run like a dairy farm – it’s divided in to paddocks and we change the sheep every few days.
I think the paddock system, if you want to have a good sustainable farm, is the way to go. It makes everything easier and you have grass to sheep all year round. All our lambs finish straight off grass, there’s no concentrate.
School days
I’m in fifth year in Coláiste an Átha, Kilmuckridge. I’ll be going into sixth year when things go back to normal. I like being at home, but I miss seeing all my friends. That said, if I was in school I wouldn’t have been at home for lambing – I loved that.
We’d start lambing from around St Patrick’s Day onwards. This year, we lambed down 200 and something ewes in two weeks. It gets everything over quickly, you’re not dragging on for a few months. Our last ewe lambed probably around mid-April.
You feel like a farmer in your own right when you’re doing things on your own
For the whole of March and April, I was at home. I really felt being at home 24/7 showed me that being a full-time farmer is what I want.
This year, I felt my father gave me more responsibility. I could lamb the ewe without someone there. I could stomach tube lambs on my own. You feel like a farmer in your own right when you’re doing things on your own.
I’d probably go to New Zealand to see the world for a bit after I finish college
If I get good marks in the Leaving Cert, I’m hoping to go on and study agriulture. I’d like to go to Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) or University College Dublin (UCD). I haven’t decided what college yet, but I know I want to stay in the area of sheep and farming.
I’d probably go to New Zealand to see the world for a bit after I finish college. I’d love to work on a big sheep farm over there, or a dairy farm. I’d love to see how farms are run in other places.
This summer, I’d love to go milking cows, but with COVID-19 I don’t think that’ll be possible. I’d like to learn how to milk – it’s good to learn new things, but when you’re brought up with sheep you sort of just get hooked on them straight away. It’s definitely sheep I’m mainly interested in.
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My Country Living: 'We have a lot of girl-power in the O’Leary family'
I’m 17 and I live on my family’s sheep farm near Gorey, Co Wexford. I’m the youngest of six children – there’s Edward, Elizabeth, Alice, Martha, Jonathan and myself. I farm with my parents, John and Margaret, and my brother Edward. In the main flock, we have 300 breeding ewes on 80ac.
My sister Elizabeth loves sheep as much as I do. She has a PhD in sheep and bought me my first Border Leicester ewe for my 11th birthday. After that, I just fell in love with the breed. I’ve built the Border Leicesters up to eight ewes this year.
Last year, I went to the local mart and got three Kerry Hill ewe lambs. I lambed them down this year with the Border Leicesters.
Gillian Earle has eight Border Leicester ewes.
This year, my father gave me 2ac, so I have my own little flock of sheep on that. When I first got the Border Leicesters, my da wasn’t really sure what way they were going to turn out, but he loves them as much as I do now.
I registered with the breed society this year, under the name Cullentra Boarder Leicesters. I felt this year was the right time, as I had a nice number of sheep and I was ready to take it on.
Having my own little flock and my own paddocks is great. I can dose them myself and things like that. I feel independent. When I go to college, my dad is going to mind them – he’s backing me as much as anyone.
Early start
Since I was a child, I was always with my da up the yard – you couldn’t keep me inside. When he was going off in the tractor, I always wanted to go with him. I always wanted to be with the sheep and have pet lambs. When I started getting pets, I was hooked.
We usually have 25 to 30 pet lambs every year – a friend of the family usually gives us a few on top of our own. I rear them on the bottle and put them on to a bucket feeder. They’re great characters. You’re out in the field and they’re running for you. There’s a lot of work in pets. As Da always says: “You have to love them to work with them”.
Me and my da, whatever he’s thinking, I’m nearly always thinking the same thing
My father won the Independent Zurich Sheep Farmer of the Year award last year. He deserved it. He left school at 14 and came home to farm. He’s built it up now and everything he gets, he deserves. Me and my da, whatever he’s thinking, I’m nearly always thinking the same thing. If we’re looking at sheep, we would be thinking the same thing or have the same idea.
Gillian Earle's flock.
The main breeds we have are Texel, Suffolk, Charollais and Border Leicester cross-ewes. The farm is literally run like a dairy farm – it’s divided in to paddocks and we change the sheep every few days.
I think the paddock system, if you want to have a good sustainable farm, is the way to go. It makes everything easier and you have grass to sheep all year round. All our lambs finish straight off grass, there’s no concentrate.
School days
I’m in fifth year in Coláiste an Átha, Kilmuckridge. I’ll be going into sixth year when things go back to normal. I like being at home, but I miss seeing all my friends. That said, if I was in school I wouldn’t have been at home for lambing – I loved that.
We’d start lambing from around St Patrick’s Day onwards. This year, we lambed down 200 and something ewes in two weeks. It gets everything over quickly, you’re not dragging on for a few months. Our last ewe lambed probably around mid-April.
You feel like a farmer in your own right when you’re doing things on your own
For the whole of March and April, I was at home. I really felt being at home 24/7 showed me that being a full-time farmer is what I want.
This year, I felt my father gave me more responsibility. I could lamb the ewe without someone there. I could stomach tube lambs on my own. You feel like a farmer in your own right when you’re doing things on your own.
I’d probably go to New Zealand to see the world for a bit after I finish college
If I get good marks in the Leaving Cert, I’m hoping to go on and study agriulture. I’d like to go to Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) or University College Dublin (UCD). I haven’t decided what college yet, but I know I want to stay in the area of sheep and farming.
I’d probably go to New Zealand to see the world for a bit after I finish college. I’d love to work on a big sheep farm over there, or a dairy farm. I’d love to see how farms are run in other places.
This summer, I’d love to go milking cows, but with COVID-19 I don’t think that’ll be possible. I’d like to learn how to milk – it’s good to learn new things, but when you’re brought up with sheep you sort of just get hooked on them straight away. It’s definitely sheep I’m mainly interested in.
Read more
Listen: ‘You’re finished one job and then you’re straight on to the next’
My Country Living: 'We have a lot of girl-power in the O’Leary family'
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