We are all being encouraged this Christmas to support and turn to local goods and services. Maybe, as part of that, we can even find Santa Claus closer to home than the North Pole.
Dessie Harrington has a small farm in Cornafean, Co. Cavan, where cattle, horses, donkeys, alpacas, and some rescued hens can be found.
But one has to wonder if he also has reindeer somewhere on his land because, not only is Harrington a farmer, but he has also played the role of Santa for 26 years.
‘It’s magical…’
AgriLand visited Harrington during one of his busiest times of the year.
“I get great enjoyment out of making children happy and there’s a great social thing to it,” Harrington says.
“The interaction with children is just very hard to explain, but it’s magical.
The wonderment and amazement – especially when they see a beard that doesn’t come off.
“It can be a wee bit annoying in the summertime and all the rest and [it] can be a little bit annoying when the good lady gives out: ‘that beard – you have to get it trimmed, you’re an awful looking man’.”
Harrington says that playing Santa helps to make him feel younger and it keep him on his toes.
“You have to be able to interact and think very fast [with] children because they are very, very smart and intelligent,” he says.
“I think the parents get a certain sense of fulfilment or whatever, it’s to see their children really being excited and enjoying the magic.”
Along with being Santa, Harrington is also kept busy at this time of year taking care of his furry friends. His daily farming routine in the the winter consists of feeding the various animals, topped off by doing some work in the polytunnel – where he has winter vegetables growing.
‘A caring theme’
“We’ve a small farm here, about 10ac, and we have 25ac on a six-year lease. It’s a caring theme, our farm,” Harrington continues.
We’re not fully organic but we’re chemical-free. We use our own fertiliser, made up of comfrey and nettles. We try to work with nature as best we possibly can.
Whether there is a farm to help out with or not, Harrington’s message to children is for them to be good, take care of each other, keep off the video games and get out to see what’s happening in nature, because “nature is a wonderful thing”.
Maybe farming and playing Santa Claus aren’t two roles that are far-removed. Both work hard during the winter, either putting food on the table or presents under the tree and they both, of course, have their own true magic.
From all at AgriLand, we would like to wish our readers – both young and old – a safe, healthy and happy Christmas.