A sheep farmer in Co. Kerry has told Agriland how he had to make his way through several feet of snow to bring his animals to safety this week.
Shane McCarthy, who farms with his father Dan in Gowlane around three miles from Kenmare town, has a mixed flock of hill and lowland sheep.
The farm was without power due to the cold weather from midday on Sunday (January 5) until 9:00a.m the following day which also impacted the water supply.
“We’re not as bad as other parts of the country, we appreciate that. At the same time, it is only when it goes, you realise how important these things are,” Shane said.
The farmer admitted that he did not initially appreciate how heavy the snowfall in the area was.
“It started Sunday, you’ll often see a bit of snow and take no great notice of it. I was just going to town to help a few people and there were trees down on the road with the weight of the snow and there [were] cars stuck.
“I gave most of the day at that while it was falling down on top of me. I didn’t notice how heavy it was until I was going home that evening and I was like, ‘wow’,” he said.
The heavy snowfall prevented Shane from getting to his flock of sheep on the hills until yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, January 8).
“You’d be afraid you’d get stuck in a snowdrift. I made one attempt the day before and I just turned back because it was so deep. For safety purposes, I just came back down.
“Yesterday afternoon I made a second attempt at going. I just gave one call, they weren’t long coming running towards me, about 70 of them roughly came down with me. They just followed me away down, they were happy to come down,” he said.
Snow
The farmer said that he could not believe the depth of the snow on the hills, which he described as “unprecedented”.
“There was one place where it was between my knees and my chest, that’s how deep it was. You couldn’t hardly move.
“There are some places like that with the drifts off the rocks. It was scary,” he said.
“The amount of snow that fell in a short period and there was no thaw, it was like building a wall,” he added.
The sheep farmer will not know if he has suffered losses until conditions fully thaw out on the mountain.
He explained how sheep often take shelter against fencing during cold weather and can then become trapped under the snow.
“I can’t say for certain, but I hope not. It’s just the depth of it that was up there, it was like Mount Everest, I couldn’t believe it. The next week or two will tell a lot,” he said.
Despite being on the hills in the arctic conditions, Shane was surprised that his flock were in “great condition”.
“I look after them like family so it’s important to keep them young and keep them in good condition always.
“Anything that is lacking a bit I wouldn’t put them to the hill anyway, I’d be particular about those things. It’s important to look after your flock because they’d go downhill very fast, especially now at this time of year. This is the main time of the year for feeding,” he said.
The flock would normally be up on the hills for another fortnight, but they will now stay down until lambing in mid-March.
Farmers
Shane also paid tribute to the efforts of farmers across the country who have come to the aid of people in the cold snap.
“No matter what crisis is there, it is the farmer who puts their shoulder to the wheel no matter what it is. They don’t get much credit for it, in fairness.
“They help people whatever the situation is, they pull out all the stops. You’d see that throughout the country where they dug out people and brought them to the shops.
“Even my own in-laws, they are still stuck in their house in Gneeveguilla for the last five days with no power, no phone reception and no water.
“A farmer came with a tractor to carry them to the shop for the necessities. It’s times like this you really appreciate the farmer,” he said.