Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.

Samuel Beckett

Visiting a working farm, seeing and hearing about their struggles opens your mind to the plight of modern farmers in the Western World. Once profitable commodities like wool have become drains on many small farms, sheep must sheared but the wool is worthless in a market demanding ever finer and cheaper wool from suppliers.

Kissane Farm is a larger operation than many Irish farms but it is tourism and crowd funding that keeps the farm from failure; meat, wool and other farm produce are almost the sideline markets. It is a common problem in small rural areas, large corporate farms have reduced prices to the point where independent farmers cannot make a living from their properties. Many fail, sell to the multi-nationals or hand the land over to their bankers before heading to the cities and a life away from the open spaces.

Sheep dog and shearing demonstrations, the sale of bespoke items and an intriguing Adopt a Sheep program all contribute to the Kissane Farm financial security. And hey, it was a great fun watching the dogs herd the sheep reacting to the shepard’s commands to bring them all home.