The flourishing flavours of Fingal
But what is lesser known is the work carried out daily by 600 farmers a mere 15-minute journey from Dublin’s GPO.
Cows are milked, beef cattle produced, vegetables grown, tillage crops harvested, and sheep raised in the fertile fields of Fingal, a county since 1994 with a current population of almost 274,000 people.
Fingal county provides around 55% of the country’s fresh produce, which includes soft fruits and berries, apples, lettuces, peppers, asparagus, potatoes, onions, and carrots.
Howth and Skerries, two of Ireland’s leading fishing ports, are located along its 88 kilometres of the rugged and beautiful Dublin Bay coastline.
There are daily landings of shellfish, cod, sea trout, lemon sole, plaice, salmon, turbot, swordfish, and many other seasonal species which end up in seafood restaurants and retail outlets.
Fingal has long been the location of Ireland’s foremost horticultural area, a sector that employs some 970 people with a total farm gate value in the region of €81m. It produces 14.5% of the national potato output, 47% of field vegetables, and 37% of protected fruits, vegetables, and nursery plants
Some 180 of Fingal’s farmers are involved in tillage (12,000ha) and there are about 70 cattle herds and 80 flocks of sheep.
It is an agri-food story that is worth celebrating and Fingal will do just that with a two-day agricultural show at Newbridge House and Farm in Donabate, just off Junction 4 on the M1, over the coming weekend.
But the Flavours of Fingal County Show will be more than just a showcase of quality cattle, sheep, and artisan food. It will also be a tribute to the farming and fishing heritage of Fingal, which was once a largely rural area dotted with a network of vibrant villages.
The number of farms reduced over the years, of course, as Dublin expanded and housing estates were developed to cater for the growing population.
There is still, however, a significant number of farms engaged in specialist horticulture and fruit production. Most of it is for the domestic market.
Yet, stories from the days when people worked with horses in the fields, before tractors and combine harvesters took hold, have been handed down. So too have folklore accounts of planting cabbages, picking potatoes, and growing carrots, activities that are reflected today among the increasing number of people who “grow their own” and support local farmers’ markets.
Fingal County Council manages some 900 allotments in four sites and there are also many privately-run schemes with plots rented to people with a passion for producing food. Others have converted a part of their own back garden into a growing space.
That link with the area’s past ensures the ethos behind next week end’s show, organised by the County Council, Fingal Farmers, Newbridge House, and Farm and Fingal Tourism, is backed with tradition.
There will be cattle classes for Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Simmental, Belgian Blue, Limousin, Shorthorn, Holstein Friesian, and commercial cattle.
Judges in the sheep section will consider entries from Suffolk, Vendeen, Texan, Charolais, Jacob, and Belclare breeders. There are also classes for poultry.
The old Dublin cattle market, which was for 90 years one of the largest on these islands, has a special place in Ireland’s livestock history. Droves of cattle were herded through the streets to the weekly Thursday market and later transported by train from Cabra to the North Wall Station to be put on board the Dublin to Liverpool boat.
Despite that heritage many young people living in Fingal today know little about farming and fishing, how quality food is produced, or the stringent efforts that are made to ensure it is all done to high standards.
And in that respect, the show will be educational as it highlights the continuing contribution of farming and fishing to this part of Dublin.
Country Crest, Keelings, and Keoghs will be amongst the top food producers exhibiting at the event. Each has a long association with the region.
Keelings are fresh fruit suppliers with an expertise in growing that dates back to 1896 when the family worked a farm in Donabate.
Country Crest, suppliers of potatoes and other produce, was formed in 1964 by the Hoey brothers, brothers’ Michael and Gabriel, whose family have been growing fresh produce foralmost 100 years.
Growing and packing potatoes is also part of the heritage and reputation of the Keogh family who have been farming the lands of North County Dublin for 200 years.
Fingal County is obviously proud of the role play it is still playing in farming, fishing and the agri-food sector and the tradition behind it all.
Significantly, those twin links and their importance to the economic and social well being of the people are reflected in the official motto of the county: Flúirse Talaimh is Mara — Abundance of Land and
