Blátnaid Gallagher is the proud proprietor of ‘Murray Meadows’, a 120ac organic sheep farm based outside Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, which derives revenue from a plethora of diverse sources.
Gallagher, who is relatively new to farming, having grown up in Oranmore, just outside Galway city, inherited her uncle’s farm back in 2016, after she had taken care of him towards the end of his life, trading city life for quaint rural life in Aughrim.
“Diversification at Murray Meadows is key. Never put all your eggs in your one basket. That was the advice I got from my grandmother many years ago,” Gallagher said.
This advice has proved salient to Gallagher, who despite her background, has excelled in farming.
The Galway Wool Co-op
She manages a flock of pedigree Galway sheep, runs a butterfly sanctuary, hosts social farming initiatives and harvests and sells organic straw and hay all from her east Galway farm.
The enterprising farmer was also inspired to create Ireland’s first farmer run, wool co-operative in 2021 to address the perceived “anomaly” between the thriving indigenous woollen industry and the “crisis” experienced at a farm gate level for the price of Irish wool.
Having learned of the plight of the endangered Galway sheep, Ireland’s only native breed, Gallagher invited members of the The Galway Sheep Breeders Association, to join the newly established, Galway wool co-op, to restore both the cultural heritage and provide a clean supply chain of native Irish wool.
The co-op now consists of roughly 60 flocks from around Ireland, harvesting over 5,000kg of wool which is collected every July at their annual harvest, ‘meitheal’. Here, members voluntarily come together to inspect, weigh and create a surcharge for their produce.
The wool is currently being sold to Donegal Yarns at €2.50/kilo, which is well above the national average wool price of 20c/k.
“It’s a very community driven organisation – farmers are doing it for themselves, and beginning to recognise themselves as native Irish wool growers.
“I think we’ve seen ourselves [traditionally] more as meat producers but it’s important to know that we have a premier, dual purpose breed called the Galway, that we can harvest not just one but two revenue streams from.
“We’re also very proud of the fact that these are wool growers from every province in Ireland. Whilst the sheep itself is called the Galway, the wool comes from Donegal, it comes from Bantry and Cork, it comes from Kilkenny and Wexford,” she added.
However, the co-op harbours aspirations to enter the manufacturing sector, with ambitions to start creating their own line of apparel, having noted a gap in the market for indigenous woollen produce.
The Galway Wool Co-op co-founder maintains that many of the existing mills rely heavily on merino imports, despite the existence of a flourishing native wool supply chain.
Gallagher expresses particular pride in the co-op’s recent shortlisting for the prestigious, EU sponsored, 2024 Agricultural and Rural Inspiration award.
The co-op is one of 24 contenders from across the bloc and Gallagher is seeking public support to vote for the co-op, which was nominated in recognition of the its efforts to innovate the Irish wool sector and its promotion of the indigenous pedigree Galway sheep breed.
Organic sheep farm
Her conservation efforts with the National Parks and Wildlife services (NPWS) have also been duly recognised and awarded via grants.
She collaborates with the NPWS, who help manage the farm’s special area of diversification, which has been identified as a habitat of the endangered, Marsh Fritillary butterfly, Ireland’s only legally protected insect, has also been duly recognised and rewarded.
The rare butterfly is afforded protection under the EU Habitats Directive, which mandates the government to introduce measures to boost population numbers, chiefly habitat restoration.
The occurrence of the Marsh Fritillary is dependent on the presence of the plant, Devil’s-bit Scabious, which the caterpillar exclusively feeds on and of which Gallagher allows to grow in abundance in of her fields.
Aside from her enthusiasm for sheep and butterflies, Gallagher is also a keen equestrian and breeds Connemara ponies on the farm, with seven ponies and horses already in residence.
She is also an advocate for organic farming, producing and selling organic hay and silage on the farm. She believes a lot of the criticism directed organic farming is unjustified, as the financial merits outweigh the red tape and sanctions that underpin the system.
Finally, Gallagher is a keen supporter of Social Farming Ireland, opening her farm gates twice a week to individuals with intellectual, physical or mental disabilities, who derive solace and companionship from the weekly trips to the farm.
“We never really take on any of the big tasks, sometimes it’s as simple as a walk in nature or we go and visit the sheep. A lot of the time, it’s really [about] developing self-esteem, the ability to work as part of a team, or just the motivation to get on the bus in the morning to come farming.
“As anybody that’s involved in social farming will know, the pot of tea is foremost and most central part of the morning.
“We may not have seen each other for a week, so we catch up on the week that’s just gone by and we look forward and plan what we’re going to do for the day,” Gallagher said.