On Native Species
Conversation with John O’Halloran
Can you introduce yourself and give us a bit of background into how you became a farmer?
My name is John O’Halloran, I fell into farming accidentally. I took over the farm from my grandmother. They had a simple system of suckler cows. They would have had traditional breeds, improved British breeds, in the 60’s and 70’s but over time they were replaced by limousines, a non-native breed. As my wife is from a farming background. We had non-native sucklercows for a while but then started to look at traditional native species. It started very small and simple but continued to grow. I have a daughter who is now trained as a farmer.
Where did your interest in Droimeann cattle begin?
I am an archaeologist by profession, so I am interested in the historical layers of a place. We began with traditional breeds of other animals and in July 2018 we decided to have a look at traditional heifers. When I visited the farm of Tom Keane in Limerick it was a lightbulb moment. The biodiversity on his place overlooking the shannon was on a level that I’d never seen before: the scabious (plant or thistle), the grasses, the trees, the cattle, the bees, the pollinators. The main impetus for the biodiversity was the Droimeann Cattle, a traditional irish breed. We bought two and that year was the worst weather we had had for a long time. The non-native species were finding it really difficult and they wouldn’t eat the grass, whereas the Droimeann breeds were eating brambles, nettles, and rushes. We couldn’t catch them because they wanted to stay outside. From there we bought the same breeds and kept them on marginal land where they were happy.
‘‘The main impetus for the biodiversity was the Droimeann Cattle, a traditional irish breed.’’
Can you tell us more about the breed and their connection to the landscape?
Cattle were thought to be brought to Ireland by iron age people, similar to the red deer and the hare . They are an integral part of the DNA of the Irish landscape. And in the middle ages Ireland people’s values were oriented around their cattle. Many of the Brehon laws were about cattle. Cattle created roles for people around them, such as cattle minders, which were known as the Bo Ara.
If we look at the landscape through an archeological perspective there was the Fulacht Fia, a bronze age landscape, and the other was our earth and ring forts castles and Dún Aonghasa. These latter examples were all circular enclosures, predominantly defensive places but also spaces where people would gather with their cattle. So from these periods cattle were an integral part of the myth and genealogy of the Irish people. Previously, the Irish diet was predominantly dairy and butter based. And an integral part of the Irish landscape was the native breeds such as the Moyle, Dexter and Droimeann cattle. The currency and economy in Ireland was formed around cattle. Up until the 1940’s a dowry or wedding present was a heifer. More modern literature such as that from John. B. Keane also spoke about land and animals as currency.
But during colonisation they were pushed to the margins of the landscape. During the 18th century the British brought in ‘improved breeds’ such as the Angus herd, and they were seen as superior. Yet, wave after wave of settlements by the British pushed much of the Irish identity to the west. This challenged both the people and the cattle to survive in these places where the land was harsher, clinging to where they could adapt and develop.
The Droimeann cattle themselves have high instincts and are deeply connected to the landscape. They also have a unique way of grazing and wrap their tongues around the forage so they can strip off the brambles and rushes. They are far more adaptable through their foraging than breeds brought over by the British such as Angus cows
Have you noticed changes on your own farm?
Yes, definitely, they go into the parts of the landscape that other cattle never go to, such as under gorse etc.
How if at all has climate change altered your practices?
The weather has become wetter and we’ve noticed this subtly over the past 25 years. There has been a subtle change. In general this has meant we keep the livestock off the wet land. But with the traditional species you can leave them on the land and they thrive.
What are your plans for farming in the future?Do you see farming practice changing ?
Yes, we are moving towards organic agriculture as well as breeding traditional and native breeds.
‘‘The weather has become wetter and we’ve noticed this subtly over the past 25 years. There has been a subtle change.’’
Do you think agricultural policy needs to change in Ireland?
Yes, I believe it does but I think it will in the long term. At the moment I can see two types of farming in the future. The first is the large industrialised farms and the second are coming from a different perspective with specialisations. They are breeding animals which are suitable for the landscape that they came from. People are going to have to find a niche, such as agri tourism, they will have to think differently.
What challenges are your practices as a farmer facing and addressing?
I was recently asked if I want to tell my children about the species that disappeared or if I want to be part of the generation which fights to save them and I thought this is exactly how I feel about the breeds that we are raising. END
About the Contributor:
John O’Halloran is a suckler farmer based in Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland. An archeologist by profession John now breeds native irish breeds on his farm co-run with his partner Marcella O’Halloran.
COLLABORATOR: John O’Halloran
ILLUSTRATIONS: BothAnd Group
SUPPORTERS: Arts Council of Ireland through Agility Award 2023