I farm: ”76ac on Inchbofin, which is an island on Lough Ree in Co Westmeath. I inherited the island from my uncle who farmed and lived here from 12 February 1935 to 12 February 2018 when he died. He was the last person to live on the islands on Lough Ree.”

Family: “I’m married to Tracy and have three sons; Daniel (22), Cian (20) and Josh (10). We live in Tubberclare, Glasson. I have a 19ft row boat with an engine – 10 minutes brings me out to the island.”

Sucklers: ”We have 12 suckler cows out here, they’re a mixture of Charolais and Limousin and I have a five-star Charolais stock bull. I sell most of my weanlings in Ballymahon Mart around November or December every year.”

Calving: “I’d calve around April/May when the weather gets a bit kinder. They’re all out on the island all year round. I have to keep them out of the lower part of the island during the winter because Lough Ree could rise and fall three foot.”

Fodder: “I have to load all my haylage bales onto a boat that brings five at a time. I bring them across during the summer and have them left there for the winter. There was a few summers that I got caught that I didn’t get any across and then you’d have to float the bales across during the winter. That’s why I don’t have too much stock out here anymore. I used to have up on 50 head of stock but it was too much hardship and I was making nothing out of it.”

Breeding Wader EIP project: ”I’m involved with this EIP and at the moment I’m here clearing away scrub from around the shore. I’m told if these wader birds can see the shoreline, more of them will come up through the fields and nest. Inchbofin is supposed to be one of the best breeding areas in the midlands – you’d have the lapwing, the curlew, the snipe, the redshank and the oystercatcher. You also can’t top, mow, roll or harrow or touch the ground between February and July under this scheme.”