All roads lead to Croke Park this weekend for the All-Ireland football semi-finals and the Tailteann Cup between Meath and Down.

Modern dairy farming is both physically and mentally demanding, as is playing an elite sport.

The GAA and agriculture have a long history together with both playing key roles in many rural communities across the country.

But the era of the county teams being made up of farmers appears to be coming to an end.

There is likely a number of reasons for this, including the commitment that playing inter-county sport and farming require.

Croke Park

With that said, there are still some players that have managed to forge a career playing inter-county hurling or football – one notable member of this club is 18-time all-Ireland winner Briege Corkery from Co. Cork.

Another name that is familiar to many, particular those in Meath circles, is ‘Harnan’.

This being current member of Meath senior football squad Padraic Harnan, and his uncle, former Meath footballer Liam Harnan – both of which are familiar with the hallow turf of Croke Park.

Liam was a member of the successful Meath football team from the late 1980s and early 1990s, playing a key role as centre back.

A Moynalvey club man, during his playing career he won two Senior All-Ireland Medals (1987 and 1988) as well as five Leinster medals.

He also won two National League medals and a Centenary Cup medal (a competition played to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the GAA).

Although a key member of the team and highly regarded by fans across the country, he failed to get an All Star.

Padraic, also a Moynalvey club man, has now taken up the mantle and is set to play a key role in Meath’s Tailteann Cup final against Co. Down at the weekend.

A member of the Senior football squad for a number of years now, he also captained the minor team in 2012 to the All-Ireland final.

Dairy farming

Modern dairy farming remains a physically demanding job and for many it is hard to achieve a balance between farming and life away from the farm.

But it is achievable, as proved by the Harnan men.

On the farm not far from Moynalvey GAA club, Liam and Padriac are milking 146 spring-calving crossbred cows.

The system very much focuses on grazed grass with a Jersey-cross cow being milked on the farm.

Originally a year-round calving system was operated on the farm, but the switch was made to spring milk after the purchase of heifers in 2012.

But how have both Liam and Padraic managed to balance busy life on the farm and Gaelic football?

Padraic said that farming together allows both of them to follow their interests – his of playing football and Liam’s of playing golf.

Balance

In 2020, Padraic started into his farming career managing a herd of cows in Co. Kilkenny, but as things return to normal post-pandemic, the travel and workload started to become too much.

Getting up at three in the morning after training the night before became very challenging and the decision was made to return closer to home.

Padraic starting working with a local vets, but then the option to farm alongside his uncle Liam became an option.

According to Padraic, committing to the county team is like having another job, with it taking between 30-40 hours a week to play football.

“For other people it is longer with the travel – I wouldn’t want to be one of the lads from the west working in Dublin,” he said.

When asked by Agriland about balancing football and dairy farming, Padraic said: “Elite football is very hard to play, because it is seven games in nine weeks and it is right in the heart of calving.

“But, Liam was great once a certain time came. Even if the row wasn’t finished he would tell me to get out of the yard.

“I don’t think I would have been able to balance farming and football without that help, and I would like to think that he wouldn’t have gotten through the spring without me either.

“There is a trade off; he probably did a lot of the more unsociable hours and I would have done more of the sociable hours – that is just how it worked.”

Padraic still managed to lose 4kg during the calving season, which he said was still after eating three dinners/day.

Farming and playing inter-county football are both physically demanding, with Padraic often hoping around the yard on a Monday after getting a dead leg at the weekend.

He recalled when he was out with a groin injury and moving calves, one of the calves jolted in the wrong direction – Padraic gave chase, but the calf got away.

However, this aggravated the injury and at the time, Padraic lied to his physiotherapist about how it had happened.

“Farming is demanding but there are also plenty of other players in the squad with demanding jobs including a doctor.

“But with farming the buck stops with you, if there’s an issue you have to fix it, it can’t wait until Monday – which is why farming alongside Liam allows me to balance both careers,” he said.

Padraic joked, saying that the only perfect job for a county player is a student and that is probably why so many stay students for so long.

Tailteann Cup at Croke Park

Meath face Down in the Tailteann Cup final on Saturday (July 15) in Croke Park. When asked about the game, Padraic said: “It was a tight game the last time we played them, it is going to be a tight game again this time.

“The bigger pitch might suit them a bit better.

“But it is great to be playing at this stage – there have been many years of getting knocked out of the championship early in the year.

“All we are focusing on is our performance and trying to get the best out of ourselves and as a team, if that is good enough to win on the day, that is all we can ask for.”

Croke Park

Dairy farming

Balance

Tailteann Cup at Croke Park

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