Claire and Thomas O’Connor fell in love with fresh, local and organic produce then set about buying their own their farm in 2007. It is in the Gleann na nGealt valley near Camp, Co. Kerry – a 25 acre smallholding with 4 empty fields and a yard with 3 small leaking outbuildings. After a lot of intensive work they now have the basics of a working mixed farm. All the produce from the farm is sold directly to their own farm shop www.mannaorganicstore.ie in Tralee.

Originally grazing ryegrass the farm is now a multi-environment ecosystem. Their conventional sheep farm converted to a mixed organic holding 15 years ago, with 4 acres of horticulture, 4 acres of agroforestry, 4 acres of permaculture & 13 acres of native Irish woodland.

The farm and store have full organic certification and all the farm waste organic material and that from the farm shop www.mannaorganicstore.ie is recycled as compost or as animal or poultry feed.

Although they weren’t farmers, the minute the O’Connors spotted the 25-acre holding, they knew it was for them. They sold their pub, left their jobs, bought the land and they’ve never looked back.

As they say themselves they have done a lot, but “there’s a lot more to do”!

To hear more about a year on Manna Organic farm, you can watch their video in the Farm Tour blog.