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Heading out from Enniskerry village towards the magnificent Powerscourt Waterfall you will come to a crossroads where you might pause, breathe and take in the view that stretches from your feet all the way up Glencree Valley to the wild Wicklow Mountains. This is our daily view.
Sometimes in our busy lives the landscape is so startling, so fresh that we are compelled to stop and breathe it in anew, like generations of Keegans must have done over the centuries.
For surrounding this crossroads is our farm, Waterfall Farm, which has been handed down through the Keegan family, since way back when, finally on to Michael Keegan – the current generation.
The blog
This beautiful setting is the perfect location for many ventures. In fact it has been “a location” many times for TV adverts and feature films. Our farm is the one at the end of PS I Love You.
Indeed, there have been many varied ventures on the farm over different Keegan farming tenures. To be a farmer, I believe you have to think like a marine and “improvise, adapt, overcome, survive”.
One venture we launched in 2011 was Waterfall Farm Shop. We had a lot of fun and fast learning and it is where I started to blog, mostly as a promotion for the shop, but also because I enjoy writing.
I somehow convinced Michael to search out and buy the tractor his grandfather Charlie Keegan used to win the 1964 World Ploughing Championships.
I had this naïve, fanciful idea that he could restore it in time for the 50th anniversary. I must have infected him with this seed of idealism because he did find the tractor and managed to buy it early in 2014.
The undertaking was epic, a complete nut-and-bolt restoration. Michael, a total realist, absolutely understood the insurmountable challenge that lay ahead and told me to “get blogging and get help”.
Following orders, I did just that. The Tractor Story created a huge amount of interest and the media got involved and that is where all the blogging began.
The girls
We have two magical girls. Nelly, the eldest, was two and half years old when the gleaming, fully restored Deutz D40 was displayed at the Ploughing Championships.
Katy, the youngest, is two and half now, so like her big sister, but so different as well. They keep us on our toes.
Our health and family life was suffering, we were too busy, something had to give
At the time, Michael was farming full time, improving and expanding his fantastic flock of 400 pedigree Lleyn ewes.
I was winding down my previous business and working hard at establishing myself as a horse riding coach, whilst being a full time mother and shopkeeper.
Our health and family life was suffering, we were too busy, something had to give. We made the difficult decision to close the shop in 2015. It was successful and I will always be grateful for everything it gave us.
The change
Our little old farm cottage was very damp and we spent a number of years living off the farm with relatives while we sorted it out.
Just before we moved back home, a very significant portion of land we rented was sold. Suddenly and immediately, we had to vacate it.
In the blink of an eye the esse of our financial security, our livelihood, everything was catapulted into the air. This threw the long-term farm and career plan out the window.
Although initially stunned, Michael was very quick to refocus. He had spent the previous 12 years building up a successful flock of Lleyn sheep.
Year-on-year ewe pregnancy scan results were in the 2% region. The farm revolved around improving the flock performance every way possible; using the best farm practices, coupled with forward planning and revaluation.
The future
Our new, current situation is that we no longer farm Lleyns. Michael sold every last one. However, for nearly every Lleyn he sold, he bought a new sheep, an Easycare sheep, quite similar but needing far less input.
This leaves Michael more time available to earn a living from work off the farm. More challenges to overcome, more opportunities to learn, more adventures to blog about.
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