BIG READ: Marlhill Open Farm was an idea first developed by Patrick and Noreen six years ago

Marlhill Open Farm is owned by the Fitzgerald family consisting of husband-and-wife Patrick and Noreen, and their children Ryan age ten, Richard, nine, Kate, seven and Ellie, five.

The farm was designed with a young family in mind, with the Fitzgerald family travelling extensively to visit many family destinations around Ireland and Wales for inspiration.

Marlhill Open Farm was an idea first developed by Patrick and Noreen six years ago while they worked on their own farm.

Noreen was also working full-time as a nurse in a local hospital and they had begun to raise their own family.

After several years of preparations and hard work, the Marlhill opened its doors on October 19, 2021 after many unfortunate delays due to Covid-19 which halted the building works from being completed.

Marlhill Open Farm is situated in New Inn, between Cashel and Cahir and very close to Clonmel. To access the farm there is the M8 motorway running alongside, which makes it accessible from many locations including Cork and Dublin.

Once in New Inn village follow the road to Golden and carry on straight. Once passed over the motorway flyover, take the first left towards Knockgraffan and Marlhill Open Farm is about 1km down that road.

You can find them easily on Google Maps using the Eircode E25 VN50. The farm provides a safe, secure, family-friendly place where people can visit and spend a fun day both indoors and outdoors.

The farm provides a large indoor children’s play area, a toddlers play area and an onsite café providing freshly prepared cold and hot food, barista style coffee, cold drinks, and home baking.

The indoor facilities also include a breastfeeding room, disabled facilities, baby changing facilities and a shower. The whole area is set up for wheelchairs and prams making it accessible to everyone.

The farm has a varied range of animals both large and small and allows for patrons to pet and feed the smaller animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and tortoises.

Everything from hens, ducks and geese to sheep, pigs and goats even donkeys, deer and alpacas can be found at the farm. Outdoor facilities include a playground with swings and slides.

There are also go-karts, sandpits, picnic tables and toilet facilities.

Their newest and very popular addition is the Quad and Barrel train. Spring is a wonderful time of year to visit the Open Farm with many newborn animals to meet including rabbits, piglets and lambs.

Private sensory slots are available on Sundays from 9am to 12pm, with toddler mornings operating on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm, with toast and sausages included in the admission price for children.

The café is open to any patron with or without children to enjoy a nice tea or coffee and a treat. Bookings are welcome for birthday parties, communion, confirmation, and any kind of special event or celebration a family may wish them to cater for.

The first Christmas at Marlhill Farm proved very special indeed with visits from Santa himself organised for all children, including particular hours for children who require that little bit of extra attention as is provided at the sensory sessions on Sunday mornings.

The support of the local community and local businesses has been fantastic, and with this support and help the business is up and running successfully.

The word is spreading all around the country and they have welcomed visitors from as far afield as America and Australia to visit the farm.

As Marlhill Open Farm is fresh and new, their facilities are clean, and are kept clean by a great team of staff who provide a very friendly, efficient service.

Health and safety plays a major role in ensuring the business is operating under HSA (Health & Safety Authority) guidelines particularly as the business opened after the lifting of some Covid restrictions.

The play areas are maintained regularly, and staff are always there if customers have any questions or queries relating to any part of the farm both indoor and outdoor.

Family is key and staff pride themselves on treating all visitors with respect and dignity as they would with members of their own family.

The Fitzgeralds are always open to new ideas to improve their facility and visitors are requested to leave suggestions/ideas on their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Current visitor numbers have exceeded expectations to date and the future is looking bright with school tour bookings taking up the month of June and most of May. The Fitzgerald family look forward to welcoming you soon.

Supplied by Tipperary Chamber of Commerce