Stronger Roots: How rural Irish women are shaping the future of agriculture

Rural life has changed for the better for women and now blends the local with access to the wider world, says Jonathan deBurca Butler

Maura Fay. Picture: Brian Clarke

Journalist Maura Fay comes from a long line of rural women who have refused to give up the tranquility of the countryside for the bright lights of nearby towns and cities.

The RTÉ radio reporter, who can be heard on Today with Claire Byrne, has lived her whole life in Drumconrath, a lively village of 600 people in north Meath, near the borders of Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth.

“I’ve traced my family back to 1762, so we’ve been here quite a while,” says the 39-year-old. “We’ve three pubs, one shop, a pharmacy, an excellent school, a doctor’s surgery, an active GAA scene and a pitch-and-putt course. It’s a great little village.” Like many who live in Ireland’s countryside, Maura and her family ply many trades. While her father runs the family farm on the outskirts of the village, her mother looks after the family pub, Fay’s, right in the heart of it.

“It was a brilliant experience to grow up in those environments,” says Maura. “The farm teaches you about responsibility and you get exposure to farming life. I was raised with pet lambs and herding sheep and cattle. In the pub, you see a spread of life and hear different stories.

“You get a lot of street smarts and knowledge of life. It can be tough for a kid, though, because you do get a lot of jobs to do, so you’re always busy. But I loved it.”

Since those early days of feeding lambs on the farm and washing glasses behind the counter, Maura has seen a change in rural life. Technology has had a huge impact and internet connectivity means that isolation is not such a big factor.

But there has been a more profound shift.

“The biggest change I’ve seen is that women are much more visibly involved in agriculture,” Maura says. “I help out my dad every so often. He’s part of a land producer group. So now and then, if a lorry comes into the village to put their lambs on the lorry, I could be reversing the trailer in front of 20 elderly male farmers and that’s quite normal now. I see a lot more girls driving and working with machinery.”

Katie Shanahan. Pic credit Andy Gibson.

Farmer and influencer

Katie Shanahan is a farmer and influencer.

“The thing of a content creator or an influencer didn’t exist when I was a teenager, so I had nobody to look up to,” Katie says. “Even getting information about what I wanted to do with my life wasn’t easily available.”

With 28,000 followers on Instagram, Katie might well be that inspiration to others. Her fascinating page offers daily updates on everything from looking after a pedigree flock of sheep to her job as a marketer with Herdwatch. And the page is delivered with a little bit of glamour.

“I am the only girl in my family,” says the 29-year-old. “So, growing up, I was that girl in the frilly dress, but I was running after ponies or sheep in the field. I had the two sides of the coin: Where I got done up, but also got stuck in with the brothers. I have some friends who are women farmers and we all love getting done up and going out.

“We’re heavily involved in Macra na Feirme, so we always look forward to events. That whole image of what a farmer should look like is probably still there: An old man in Wellington boots and a hat. And there are plenty of them still about, but I like showing that farmers can look any way they want. I like my fashion and make-up.”

Katie Shanahan, Leap and her dog Timmy at the New Year's Day fun ride in association with the Carbery Hunt & Ballinadee Harriers. Picture Dan Linehan

Katie’s adventures on social media and the responses to them encouraged her to study business management and marketing at University College Cork. She also obtained a Green Cert from Clonakilty College. These qualifications have been life-changing, but the transition to working from home that came with the pandemic has also been a huge factor in enabling her to maintain so many irons in the fire.

“It has allowed me to venture in to a new career that I probably wouldn’t have been able to, because I’d have had to travel to Cork City and move away from home,” Katie says. “I’ll never move away from here. I’m building a house on the farm. I know I will never move away. Working from home has allowed me to stay and work in rural Ireland, but also to pursue a career path that I enjoy.” Katie has also seen a noticeable shift in attitudes towards women in rural Ireland and says there are “more women farmers and more support for women who want to go down the route of starting their own operation”.

“We wouldn’t have been anything without the women who were ahead of us,” she says. “I learnt so much from my mother, and other women, but I’m delighted to see that bit of progression.”

Mairead Lavery, chariperson, Agri Aware and former Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan pictured in 2006.

Dramatic changes

One of those who blazed a trail for rural women is Mairead Lavery. The recently retired journalist spent 22 years documenting rural and farm life for The Farmer’s Journal and Irish Country Living.

“The big change is recognition,” says the 66-year-old. “I remember when I first came here, 38 years ago [to the farm in Limerick], I had my own car, which I booked in for a service and I got the bill back for Mrs Seán Lavery. 

"I was an appendage to my husband. I remember thinking, ‘This can’t stay like this’ and in my time here it has changed dramatically.”

Though she acknowledges changes in technology and overall society, the biggest has been born out of necessity, which, she says, is “usually the root of it when it comes to farmers”.

“The demographics are changing,” Mairead says. “Families are smaller. You’re not keeping on going, having five or six daughters until you have the blessed son.

“Girls are being considered just as good, if not better, a potential for the family farm and its future. An awful lot of young women are involved in farming now.

“Nobody bats an eyelid today if the vet arriving into the yard, or the person selling the fertiliser, is a young female.

“They’re now CEOs or CFOs in lots of downstream industries. They’re involved in every sector. Where it is not yet on a par is in terms of the ownership of farms. The land is still in male hands.”

Never stuck

The increasing involvement of women in agriculture has also had an impact on the food industry.

“Young women are good at communicating how their food is produced and the hoops that farmers go through to make quality products,” says Mairead.

“They often come on to farms with science degrees or a health background and they have been instrumental in driving the artisan food industry across the country.”

That cottage industry has become an expression of modern rural life, where old traditions and values meet technology to make the most of what the countryside has to offer.

“I don’t see any negatives to living where I do,” says journalist Maura Fay.

“You’re never stuck in traffic. It’s somewhat easier to get a house in rural Ireland. The air is cleaner. I can get an appointment with my GP straight away.

“I also think people underestimate just how important that village network is for your sense of self, your sense of security, and just being part of a community.

“Everybody watches out for each other and there are great support networks there, through the GAA or the farming community. You’ll always get a helping hand.

“People know who you are. I always find it funny that people in cities often don’t know their neighbours.”