Farm experience launched for tourists
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed was in Rosscarbery to launch West Cork Farm Tours, which gives visitors the opportunity to tour five award-winning, family-run farms, to see first-hand how top-quality dairy, beef and pork products are produced, and to experience hospitality in the farmers’ kitchens.
“The great advantage we have in farming is the family farm structure.
“And what this initiative is about is five family farms coming together and saying we’re going to share this experience.
“People are now looking for experiences. This fits neatly into that niche,” said Mr Creed, to a packed attendance at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery.
The initiative is the result of collaboration between the farming and tourism sectors.
Tours to the farms of Avril and Willie Allshire, Michael and Marguerite Crowley, John Joe O’Sullivan and family, Denis and Collette O’Donovan, and Tommy Moyles, are being promoted by the Celtic Ross Hotel,. and the Fernhill House Hotel and the Emmet Hotel in Clonakilty.
Speaking on behalf of the three hotels, Neil Grant, general manager of the Celtic Ross, said: “West Cork Farm Tours affords our guests the chance to meet locals and see how they live and work on their farms, and experience the amazing scenery West Cork has to offer.”
JJ Walsh, commercial manager of Carbery Group, said: “This marks a milestone for both farming and tourism, which are the pivot enterprises here in West Cork. Staying in a hotel and knowing that you can go on a guided tour can greatly enhance the tourism product we have here.”
Marie Healy, Wild Atlantic Way project officer at Fáilte Ireland, said: “In a year that has seen West Cork crowned as the Best Foodie Destination in Ireland, it seems appropriate that our dairy, pig and beef farmers can show our visitors where it all begins.”
