Alanna Daly is a fifth generation farmer who, with her parents Alan and Gwen (brother Lorcan lectures in TUS Athlone), look after Lough Mask House farm near Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.
Oozing with history and steeped in beauty, the 230ha farm contains extensive areas of grassland, native woodland and wetland, providing food, shelter and water for the farm’s extensively-grazed suckler cows and sheep.
The 60 suckler cows – mostly hardy, easy-calving breeds like Angus and Galloway – are well-suited to outwintering on the free-draining limestone grasslands.
The cattle graze with the sheep – currently 300 blackface mountain and Lleyn ewes – with the weanlings and lambs usually sold in autumn.
The grasslands, pockmarked with ‘karst’ solutional features, rely on dressings of lime and potash – and, increasingly, seeding-in of clovers – to maintain natural fertility (the animals aren’t housed, so slurry or farmyard manure isn’t readily available).
Coming home
Alanna was studying veterinary science in Poland when Covid struck; once back home, her love of the outdoors and passion for farming were rekindled.
The close-knit family cooperate on every aspect of the farmwork and Alanna claims there is no task she doesn’t enjoy.
She also works off-farm at a local vet practice and at Ballinrobe racecourse, continuing the family’s long association with horseracing – both of Alanna’s parents rode competitively, while her father and grandfather also trained horses.
The farm has a particularly rich built heritage which reflects millennia of human occupancy and includes an ancient stone fort (replete with a magnificent ‘souterrain’ or underground passage), an impressive tower house, and some beautiful semi-derelict, cut-stone farm outbuildings.
The 94ha of woodland is another notable feature, containing a diverse mix of oak, ash, holly, hornbeam, alder, willow and hazel, all of different ages and sizes.
A rich coating of ferns, mosses and lichens – along with ivy trunks the size of one’s thigh! – confirm that this is very old woodland (undisturbed for over 100 years, according to Alan).
The wetlands include the scenic shores of Lough Mask, a haven for wildfowl, which enjoy the generous riparian margin afforded to them.
Seasonal fluctuations in water levels adds to the diversity – as does a beautiful farm pond which ‘appeared’ 40 years ago and is today full of ducks and herons.
The farm teems with wildlife – red squirrels, pine martens, stoats, bats and wildfowl aplenty – perfect quarry for Alanna’s keen photographer’s eye. She modestly attributes her stunning images to “luck”, but they are clearly a reflection of the habitat-richness of the farm and her intimate knowledge of it.
Bespoke farm plan
Fortunately for the Dalys, the habitat-richness of the farm and their innate interest in nature is now starting to pay dividends, supplementing traditional market-based income streams.
They joined the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme in 2020 and the Organic Farming Scheme in 2022.
The former suits them well – there are no ‘planning costs’; instead they are supported by professional ecologists to develop a bespoke plan for their farm and rewarded for nature-positive actions and outcomes.
Under the NPWS farm plan (discussed and agreed with the family), one of the main tasks was the restoration of a derelict roost site for the rare Lesser Horseshoe bat, as well as erecting giant bat roosts in the woodland.
They have planted new hedges and plan to convert 4ha of species-poor grassland to agroforestry, connecting fragmented woodland areas to create more wildlife corridors.
Elsewhere they have erected fencing around a 6ha section of species-rich wildflower meadow, used ‘green hay’ to boost grassland diversity, and pushed-back invasive bracken and scrub which were encroaching onto species-rich areas.
The farm plan includes a handy, farmer-friendly, colour-coded calendar outlining what tasks are planned, where and when.
A special place
The Dalys’ approach to farming is certainly different, as is their idea of legacy.
They view themselves very much as intergenerational caretakers of what is, by any standard, a pretty amazing natural and cultural farmland heritage and, as Alanna puts it, “such a special place for our family”.
Bills do need paying, however, so it’s heartwarming to see that their approach seems to be gradually gaining more economic traction, as nature becomes scarcer – and therefore more valuable.
It’s also good to see State schemes which embrace the farm’s unique characteristics and take account the interest and stewardship ambition of the farm family.
The Dalys are such warm hosts and clearly derive much pleasure from their land, livestock and wildlife.
It’s heartening to see a young woman like Alanna enthusiastically embracing life on the land, setting an example for others as she carries on the family’s custodianship of the farm.
Learn More
The Dalys are featured as a ‘lighthouse farm’ under the NPWS farm plan scheme. Click here to view a short video outlining some of the extensive works undertaken.
Top Tips
For bracken control (where recommended): roll the bracken a few times during the summer, this breaks the stems and stunts the growth better than topping them.