Search begins for Ireland’s top farmer

The battle is on to become Ireland’s top farming family – and this weekend two Cork clans pit their skills and knowledge against one another in a bid to gain the prize.

Next Sunday night, on what has become one of the country’s most popular home-grown reality TV shows, the Crowleys of Enniskeane in west Cork meet rivals, the O’Callaghans from Mallow in north Cork for the third series of TG4’s Feirm Factor.

James Crowley, 31, of Moneycrohy, a full-time farmer, and his wife Helena, 29, a second-level teacher, have their eyes on the prize — €20,000 should put a fairly sizeable dent into the cost of their recent wedding.