For north Cork woman Caroline O’Connell, the pandemic had a positive aspect, as it saw her establish her own pedigree Castlecor Zwartbles flock.
Caroline decided to start her flock at a time when she was spending more time at home helping on the farm in Castlecor, near Kanturk, where she lives with her mother, Geraldine; father, Timothy; and siblings, Rachel, John, and Madeleine.
Her dad is a livestock auctioneer at Kanturk Mart and both he and her brother run 180 organic beef sucklers and 80 organic ewes.
Having gone to college and started working, her focus on farming had dimmed, but lockdown saw her love of the land rekindled.
Keen to get into sheep but seeking something different to the family’s commercial sheep, she opted for the Zwartbles breed.
Having spoken with some Irish breeders and done her homework, she was swayed by the Zwartbles’ amenable nature and reputation for easy lambing.
Zwartbles
“From research and conversations I had when I rang some Irish breeders, I decided on Zwartbles because of their striking appearance, docile nature and easy lambing traits. They are known for being easy to maintain,” Caroline said.
“I really just keep the Zwartbles as a hobby but I enjoy being out on the farm and it’s a good time for Zwartbles as they are becoming popular, having just recently being fully recognised in Ireland.
“After weeks of ringing breeders, I finally sourced a pedigree ram and two pedigree ewes in Tipperary. A couple of weeks later, I got two more pedigree ewes in west Cork. They were in-lamb, so I was delighted I did not have to wait until spring 2022 for lambs.
“In August 2021 I had my first three Zwartbles lambs.”
In winter 2022, she scanned her four ewes ahead of the breeding season.
“The breed is known for being prolific, but we did not expect a scanning result of three sets of triplets and a quad. In less than a year the flock of five in 2021 turned into 21.
“I currently have 15 in the flock and I want to keep on breeding and developing the flock which has its own Instagram page,” she said.
Full plate
A member of Freemount Macra, Caroline keeps extremely busy. She works in credit control in Dairygold headquarters, Mitchelstown.
“I love working in Dairygold. I have the privilege of working with some of the most talented and passionate professionals in the industry,” she said.
“The staff at all levels of the co-operative are friendly, approachable and willing to help. The company is always open to help you expand your knowledge and experience new areas of the organisation.”
“I am a qualified secondary teacher and still enjoy teaching, so I work with Mallow Night School teaching business and accounting QQI further education courses, which I now do remotely.
“So I have the best of both worlds; industry and teaching,” said Caroline, who is a director of Kanturk Credit Union.
“I think the future is encouraging for women in agriculture. From my experience in becoming a breeder in the Zwartbles Sheep Breeders of Ireland and from my work in Dairygold, I think women are respected, encouraged and treated equally in the workplace and on the farm,” Caroline added.