High nature value farming case studies in north Connemara and the Aran Islands

July 26, 2010
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Traditional extensive farming practices have helped to create the Irish landscape, as we know it today. Much of the natural and cultural heritage that we encounter in Ireland today is influenced by, or has evolved, in response to these interactions, such as our flower-rich grasslands, and our networks of stone walls. Maintaining that heritage relies on [...]

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Bleach Lough to Officially Reopen

May 18, 2010

Leading the way in disability accessible recreation in West Limerick, Pallaskenry’s Bleach Lough will reopen next week having undergone a major overhaul to encourage local, national and international tourism into the area. The project was funded under the The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013.

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The Hot Irishman – A Steaming Success

May 13, 2010
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Over thirty countries, including Kazakhstan, have fallen head-over-heels for The Hot Irishman, and its promise of quality, consistency and an ‘easy life’. I know what you’re thinking, ‘if only we could bottle this Irishman’, but that’s just what husband and wife team, Rosemary and Bernard Walsh, did with a little help from their local LEADER [...]

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Munster rugby goes wild for local smooth operators

May 6, 2010
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Limerick man Diarmuid Crowley has come a long way from making smoothies at his kitchen table in Glanmire and having them taste-tested by neighbours. Today he runs an award winning smoothie and fruit juice company ‘Wild Orchard’, which operates from a small factory at the foot of the Galtee mountains and has been supported by [...]

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Organic Farming Scheme: A Viable Option

April 22, 2010
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The deadline for the Organic Farming Scheme is fast approaching with receipt of applications due in local AES (Agricultural and Environment Structures) offices before the 15th of May, 2010.

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Alternative Farm Enterprises: Cheese making

September 21, 2009

Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese Company has been producing speciality cheeses for the past 22 years. The proprietor, Eamonn Lonergan, outlined for the Rural Development Support Unit how the need for an alternative income on the family farm spawned a successful indigenous business that is now exporting to Europe and the US.

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Alternative Farm Enterprises: Ice cream production

August 10, 2009
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Baldwin’s Farmhouse Ice Cream is an innovative on-farm enterprise that Waterford farmer Thomas Baldwin has developed in order to give him greater control over his income. Income stability is an important consideration in dairy farming at a time when milk prices at the co-op have tumbled. A complementary on-farm enterprise can help in this regard.

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Glenbarrow Farms: adding value through branding

August 2, 2009

Laois Partnership Company has a proud history of promoting economic and social development in the county. Their Glenbarrow Farms project illustrates how they’ve applied their own expertise and LEADER funding in this regard.
Under the LEADER programme, Laois LEADER Rural Development Company (now Laois Partnership Company) engaged with low-income farmers to enhance their farm income, and [...]

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Farming in REPS

June 3, 2009
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Seamus Drohan, a farmer from Co. Waterford, has been in REPS since 2003. We recently met with him and he spoke about his experiences with the programme.

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