My late father, Robert, was one of the founding members of the Irish Hereford producers group that was started in 1997, and I have followed in his footsteps. I am currently a member of the council of the Irish Hereford Breed Society and I sit on their breed improvement committee. I am also a director on the board of Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and I work with them to benefit both livestock producers and processors, by providing the knowledge, education and coordination required to establish effective control programmes for non-regulated diseases of livestock.
Having grown up on a farm, I was well versed in the way things worked from a young age, but I honed my skills with a degree in Agriculture at UCD. I made lots of lifelong friends and great contacts during my years at college and it made me realise the benefits of farming with others and how it can really enhance a farm.
My family own an artisan food shop in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, called Hereford and More. I run it, along with my mother Margaret. We sell Irish Hereford Prime beef and other local food products. We find that local people are very loyal supporters of our shop because of the consistent taste and quality of the beef that we sell to them, they know with confidence that they are not going to be disappointed when they cook for themselves or for a special occasion.
