Waterford brother and sister to feature in new RTE farming series

A Waterford brother and sister who farm their own land will feature in the first episode of a new TV series on Irish farming on RTE, early next week. 

The brand new six-part series focuses on the lives of eleven very different Irish farming families across four seasons.

Episode One begins on the Waterford coast with brother and sister Jamie and Mairéad Costin who each farm in their own distinct ways.

Mairéad runs a vegetable enterprise while Jamie is a progressive dairy farmer. 

The documentary will also feature a visit to Piaras Ó Lorcáin, a young beef farmer in Armagh, and join Seánie Ó Baoill and his sheep flock in the hills of Donegal.

Viewers get to know the men and women who are growing and producing the food we all eat and providing income and employment in our rural communities.

The series charts their lives from spring through to winter, how they cope with everything that nature has to throw at them and how more than ever they are affected by environmental responsibilities. Our local farming industry is also a global concern, impacted by price fluctuations across the world, natural disasters thousands of miles away and even war in Ukraine.

Saol na Feirme cameras have been out in all weathers capturing the stories of the people who live and work the land, giving an insight into modern Irish rural life in counties Antrim, Armagh, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Waterford and Kerry.

Farms featured include arable, hill and lowland sheep flocks, dairy, beef and vegetable enterprises. Some farmers are high-tech and cutting edge while others are keen to preserve traditional methods.

This series is filmed in some of Ireland’s most stunning locations. There is the contrast of the beauty of the land with the practicalities of making a living in these places. As many a farmer on the west coast says, “You can’t eat the view”. But would they or could they ever leave it?