I farm: ”146ac at Frevenagh, close to Tullamore, Co Offaly. I keep 20 suckler cows and a bull. The cows are a mix of Limousin, Whitehead and Angus, with a Charolais bull.”

Buying in: ”I buy in 20 to 25 calves or stores every year, depending on prices. I buy Angus, Whitehead or Charolais calves and if I buy weanlings in the autumn, they would be mainly Charolais and Limousin. I buy most of them from a local dealer, Pat Brazil.”

Sheep: ”I have 80 Texel and Suffolk ewes and 20 ewe lambs lambing down this year. My flock was attacked by dogs last year. Twenty-four ewes were attacked and 16 of them were killed or had to be put down. They were on an out-farm six miles away.”

Lambing: ”The flock lambs in three batches, some early, some in mid-March and the last of them in April. They lamb indoors and the first two batches are finished now so I get a fortnight’s break in between.”

Quintuplets: ”I had a set of quintuplets from a Texel ewe this year. They were by a Texel ram. I also used a Suffolk ram. We also had a set of twins from a black ewe this year that produced one snow-white lamb and one black lamb, so one each from the Suffolk and the Texel rams.”

Reseeding: ”I have about 10ac of the land in barley. I use it for feed for the cattle and I move it around as I reseed a section of the farm every few years. A neighbour cuts the corn for me and my silage work is done by a contractor too.”

Family help: ”My nephews Charlie and Conor Bourke come to the farm any time they get a chance. Conor is 15, he’s doing his Junior Cert this year and Charlie is 10. He’s in fourth class.”

Selling: ”I sell the sheep at Tullamore Mart where my sister-in-law Antoinette Daly is the manager. The cattle go to Kepak, only a mile and a half from me.”

Quotable quote: “I’ve reclaimed a lot of land and the two lads have helped out a lot, by picking stones. They have a good interest in farming.”