Music is the main crop as Townlands Carnival hits Colin Wolfes’ farm near Macroom
It’s not every farmer who decides to have a rock concert on his farm over the summer, but then again, not every farmer is Colin Wolfe.
Colin is a Co Cork suckler farmer, based a few miles outside Macroom town. He’s married to Sally and they have two young sons, Harry and Pat.
Colin certainly looks beyond traditional farming practices when seeking an extra income from the land, describing the 35 acres given over for the month of July to the Townlands Carnival as an “alternative crop”.
It certainly is an alternative crop, and it’s one of the very few crops this year that’s growing particularly well.
I called to the Wolfe family farm earlier this week as it geared up for the third Townlands Carnival, and found a landowner looking forward to the big weekend of 100 acts in five stages, over three days.
He’s a forward-looking man in every sense.
Harry Wolfe, Colin’s father, purchased the Leades House and farm back in 1981. Before the Wolfe family’s arrival, it had been in the Woodley family since 1640.
Originally the plan had been to develop the farm as a dairy enterprise, but with the advent of milk quotas, and with the farm having a quota of only 29,000 gallons, a choice was made to go down the suckler route.
Albert, Colin’s brother, ran the farm up to the mid-90s, before embarking on a new life in Canada where he now runs a dairy farm.
Colin took over, holding onto the suckler cows, but also looking into environmental possibilities.
Colin has a UCC degree in Environmental Science.
“We started taking in students on the farm in the mid-90s,” Colin explains.
“Students from all parts of the world, who came here to learn English, learn about sustainable living, and to undertake an environmental project.” The students stay from one month to six months.
The first project we undertook was the planting of a native deciduous forest called the Peace Forest in ‘96, and students have been coming here ever since.
Stemming from this, Sally and Colin Wolfe opened their Siopa Gan Ainm, a farm shop and café in Cornmarket Street, Cork, selling and serving food, all locally sourced.
“What we don’t produce ourselves for the shop, we either know the person who grew it, or know the story behind the food. Our customers like that,” Colin says.
You are bridging the urban-rural divide, I suggest, and Colin likes the sound of that.
Speaking of sounds, we move next to Townlands Carnival, now in its third year, and taking place on the Wolfe family’s farm on the weekend of Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 22.
Opening the farm as a public venue began when the Wolfe family opened the gates at Leades House to their local national school in Rusheen about 10 years ago, for a fund-raising garden fete.
The gates were again opened in a fund-raising drive for Marymount Hospice.
Then, in 2013, came the opportunity to hold the Dream Gathering, a concert which was “a nice happy, friendly, alcohol-free festival,” as Colin recalls it.
In more recent years, a different event called the Townlands Carnival has established itself, and is proving very popular.
Three days of fire eaters, jugglers and performers of every variety, but with music at the centre, and five stages booming out the beat.
How does Colin Wolfe feel about it all?
“Well, the pizzas are delicious, for starters,” he reckons.
The music, I’m afraid, is for the younger generation, this year, however, Sister Sledge are appearing, so at least that’s one band I can recall from my younger days, I’m looking forward to seeing them.
That’s the band who had a hit with ‘We are family’ in 1979.
What’s the farming future on the farm for the Wolfe family, now there almost 40 years. “We are blessed to live where we do, and over the coming years, we would love to develop the grounds, particularly around the house here as a place for people to come and appreciate the peace and tranquillity that it offers.”
One possibility that certainly springs to mind is of Leades House being developed into a wedding venue. As well as being the Wolfe family’s home, it is a large 250-year-old Georgian house, surrounded by seven acres of beautiful garden, including a Victorian walled garden and tennis court.
There are numerous outbuildings, a courtyard, and a 120-acres mature native forest just waiting for the happy footfall of a romantic couple itching to escape the hustle and bustle modern life on their wedding week.
“Our two sons, Harry and Pat, will not be able to remain here if they are dependent on mainstream agriculture. The income simply isn’t in the business. It wasn’t there 40 years ago, it’s certainly not there today.
“As we look to the future, we will always seek out alternative avenues. The Woodley family were here for 340 years, we have a bit to go to catch up.” Townlands Carnival 2018 runs from Friday July 20 to Sunday July 22.
