Denis Lehane: A love letter to urea - the greatest mistake farmers in Ireland ever made

Always a difficult relationship, many courted the bag of fertiliser for years, struggling to keep the bills paid and the spark alive.

The greatest mistake Irish farmers ever made was to fall in love with the bag of fertiliser. Like the turbulent love affair between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, it was a match doomed to fail from the start. 

We should never have allowed our heads to be turned by the artificial stuff. We should never have strayed from farmyard manure - manure had been our loyal companion for many years.