Ballerina Farm: Who is the family behind the page and why are they in Cork?

Hannah and Daniel Neeleman have been associated with the 'trad wife' movement and are currently in Cobh with their family

Some moments from the Neeleman family's visit to Cork. Pictures: Ballerina Farm

The family behind the TikTok famous Ballerina Farm announced they have landed in Ireland after a long journey from the United States.

They have caused a stir online for their family values and backstory, but who are they and why are they in Ireland?

Here’s everything you need to know about Ballerina Farm.

Who are they?

Hannah Neeleman is a 34-year-old from Utah, USA. She is a social media influencer, posting under the social media handle @BallerinaFarm.

She has a background in ballet, having attended a Juilliard School summer ballet program at 14 and later finishing her university studies there.

Hannah met Daniel Neeleman – who is the son of David, founder of five airlines including JetBlue – while home from college over Thanksgiving and within three weeks, they were engaged.

The couple are both from Mormon families and now have eight children. The Neelemans are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

What is Ballerina Farm?

Daniel’s job took the couple to Brazil for a number of years before they returned to the US. They spent three years looking for a farm to purchase and bought a different property in 2017. The following year, they bought what is now Ballerina Farm.

On Instagram and TikTok, Hannah shares snippets of their life on the farm, such as baking with the children, milking cows and generally spending time on the property. They now have 10 million followers on Instagram and 9.8 million on TikTok. 

What is the controversy surrounding the family?

Hannah Neeleman at home. Picture: Ballerina Farm

Though she doesn’t identify with the term, Hannah has been associated with the 'trad wife' movement.

The online trend sees the glorification of being a stay-at-home wife or mother. This includes managing the household, cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.

The movement has been widely criticised online for undermining feminism and the evolution of gender roles.

What was the Sunday Times piece about them?

In July of this year, the Sunday Times newspaper published a detailed profile of the couple. In it, Hannah was dubbed “the queen of the trad wives”.

The piece revealed public and private aspects of their life and during one rare moment when Hannah could speak to the journalist without interruption from her husband, she admitted she got an epidural when delivering one of their children while Daniel was out of town.

She also spoke about the sacrifices she made to have a family, such as giving up her dancing career.

Many who read the piece commented on Hannah’s lifestyle, saying her life may not be as fulfilling as it appears on social media.

Others criticized Daniel’s role in their traditional family dynamic.

Why are they in Ireland?

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A post shared by Irish Examiner (@irish_examiner)

On Thursday night, Hannah posted on Instagram and TikTok to announce that after a long 36-hour journey, the family had finally arrived in Ireland for a work trip.

The video showed them having lunch in Kinsale before heading to their AirBnB in Cobh for a quick rest. The family then headed to Centra to do some grocery shopping, with Hannah praising the eggs in Europe for not being in a fridge.

On her Instagram stories, she showed the family exploring green fields on the coast, saying her daughter Fran looked to be fitting in to Ireland well with her fair hair and cream jumper.

Hannah also posted a video of her eating a Crunchie bar, saying they were her favourite.

It's not clear how long they will be in Ireland.