About the Holding
John & Helen and their family live on a small farm just outside Buttevant in Co. Cork. They have a small herd of limousine cattle. They keep hens who supply eggs for the house. They enjoy growing their own potatoes and vegetables. They have a dog called Honey and a cat called Summer.
John and Helen come from farming backgrounds and love living in the countryside with their family. The family farm is a small holding which is farmed in an ecologically friendly way as much as possible. This encourages the birds, bees, and wildlife around them while using little or no sprays or chemicals. In most ditches, they bend back the branches to strengthen the ditch, allowing birds and bees to nest and feed.
A Social Farming Day
- All stages of growing vegetables, from ground preparation through to planting, thinning out, weeding, watering, and harvesting.
- Feeding hens, collecting eggs, cleaning out the hen house, and giving fresh adding in the nest boxes.
- Mucking out the cow shed, giving the animals fresh bedding, food, and water.
- Renovating old farm buildings.
- Keeping farmyard clear and swept.
- Tidying away and keeping tools in order.
- Learning about livestock care.
- Maintaining safe farm areas, e. g. closing gates
- Keeping the hedgerow cut back around the ditches.
- Repairing fences around the farm
Local Interests
There is a large GAA pitch with a walkway all around the perimeter, a playground, and a community centre that hosts many community gatherings close by. There is also an active Tidy Town group in Buttevant.
Buttevant is a medieval town dating back to the 13th century, founded by the Anglo Normans. A bronze age farmstead was uncovered when a new school was being built in 2015.
The first ever Steeple chase was in 1752 from Buttevant Church Steeple to St. Mary’s Church Steeple in Doneraile.