A farmer from Co. Kerry has raised over €22,000 for charity having completed a marathon sheep shearing challenge this summer.

In early July, James O'Connor from Cloghane in west Kerry sheared more than 2,000 sheep in 50 hours at Dingle Mart.

He embarked on the challenge to raise funds for two causes close to his heart.

Last night (Saturday, August 16) the cheque presentation to both recipients, Kerry Hospice Foundation and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Unit at St. Joseph’s National School in Castlemaine, took place in Dingle.

The final total raised from the challenge was revealed to be €22,600.

Kerry Hospice Foundation and St. Joseph’s National School both received €11,300.

The school said on social media that the funding has "made our dream of an outdoor sensory room a reality".

As part of the charity challenge, O'Connor had sheared sheep in two-hour runs, separated by 30-minute breaks, over the course of four days.

The farmer managed to get a few hours sleep each night in a motorhome parked outside the mart.

When the 50 hours had come to an end James, who had trained for 12 months with a personal trainer for the event, had sheared 2,021 sheep provided by local farmers.

He said it was "hard going", and at times felt like he might not reach the 2,000 figure - however, it was a "happy relief" to get there in the end.

A large crowd gathered at Dingle Mart to watch the last sheep being sheared by O'Connor.

The farmer has thanked all those who donated and showed support during the challenge.

Asked if he plans to take on any more challenges in the near future, he said he will "soak this one up for a while and go from there".

Before this, he was no stranger to record-breaking shearing events.

In 2023, O'Connor also sheared over 800 sheep in a 24-hour period to raise funds for his sister Mary Lynch, who had been given a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The money was used to cover the cost of treatment in Germany for Mary, who is a mother of two young children, helping to prolong her life.