"It's absolutely fantastic. I'm thrilled to get the recognition from the industry and from all the people who supported us all the way along. It's just unbelievable."
"From my grandmother, my mother, my mother-in-law, who I would have a very close relationship with. I just see all the work they always do in the background and the men are often out in front,"
"And I just think none of these farms are as successful as they can be without the women behind them, and often they're hidden away in the background, too shy to speak. Their position in the industry is really, really important."
Aileen Sheehan, 34, and her husband Philip O'Leary run a sustainability-focused dairy farm in Whitechurch, Co Cork. They began farming in December 2021 by leasing a dairy unit, buying a herd and starting milk supply. Sheehan won the FBD competition, becoming the first female winner in its 27-year history, and also received the dairy category award and the Skillnet Biodiversity Award. Sheehan balances full-time teaching with farm work while O'Leary serves in the Army; they have an eight-month-old daughter, Katie, and three part-time staff who assist with milking and weekend tasks. Sheehan emphasizes the vital, often unseen role of women in farming.
Read at Irish Independent
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