Straight-talking Dermot ready to deliver for the future of farming

The Southern Star and Celtic Ross Hotel West Cork Farming Awards winner for June is Dermot Kelleher, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association which represents 12,000 farm families nationally

DERMOT Kelleher worked as a part-time postman for almost four decades in and around his native Inchigeela.

But he delivered far more than just the post during his 38 years of service: he often rolled up his sleeves to deliver a calf, a lamb, even a foal, before heading on his way. It was all in a day’s work.

During the pandemic, he delivered groceries and anything else the people on his rural route needed. And he was (and still is) always happy to take the time to help people fill out forms for things like farm payments.

He retired from An Post in March 2020, but as some- one who feels compelled to help others, he most certainly wasn’t ready to put up his feet.

That December he was elected president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), and it’s a position he still holds.

So who is this straight talking, call-it-like-it-is farmer who heads up an organisation that represents 12,000 farm families nationally? He was born and bred in Inchigeela, where his father ran a general shop in the village, while also working in insurance.

After doing his Leaving Cert in Coláiste Íosagáin in Ballyvourney, he spent a couple of years working as a delivery driver with a transport company in Cork and Dublin.

‘I was a bit of a Jack of all trades,’ said Dermot (70).

In the early 80s he inherited a dairy farm from his uncle and with his diploma from Kildalton Agricultural College under his belt, he embarked on his farming career.

He started out with 14 arable acres and around 20 cows, but after encountering difficulties with his milk quota, he sold them both, with the bulk tank, in 1988.

He switched to suckler cattle, and bought a Charolais bull for breeding purposes.

‘At the time I felt that the IFA were doing fantastic work, but I didn’t feel represented as a suckler farmer, so I joined the ICSA,’ he said.

In fact, he started the branch in West Cork 30 years ago. He was the first chairman, a position he still holds, representing around 400 farm families in the area.

He was also the first chairman of the Cork and Kerry Charolais Breeders’ Club.

Having expanded the farm to 80 acres over the years, he handed over the reins to his eldest son Christopher, and they now work together.

Sadly, his beloved wife Mary, whom he married in 1978, passed away in May.

‘She went to hospital on a Friday, got a diagnosis of motor neurone disease on a Monday, and died on a Wednesday,’ he said.

Mary was originally from Cork city but she absolutely loved living in rural West Cork.

‘She was fantastic. She did an awful lot of farming work, pulled calves, kept chickens, grew vegetables. She really settled into country life,’ said Dermot.

‘The house is so empty now and things just aren’t the same without her,’ he said.

They were parents to two boys and three girls, and also a boy they tragically lost to a cot death over 30 years ago.

The eldest is Christopher, who runs the home farm, and also does AI work with Eurogene; next is Anne, an SNA who lives near Coachford; Timothy, who lives in Kilmichael and who does fertility testing and scanning on animals; Josephine lives in Ballincollig and is a teacher in St Brogan’s in Bandon, and Frances works in Togher Family Centre and lives on the Model Farm Road in the city.

‘I’ve nine grandchildren and I’ve a great relationship with them all,’ said a proud Dermot.

(Photo: Andy Gibson)

Like many stakeholders in the agri sector, he feels they are being unfairly scapegoated when it comes to climate targets.

‘We have 23% of space on our farm allocated for nature – we are all doing our bit and have been committed to doing that for years and years. I’ve the same amount of animals on my land since I started out farming 40 years ago, during which time the population has grown, people want new cars, and cheap holidays, yet it’s my cows that are the problem. That’s unfair, it’s humiliating,’ he said.

He’d like to see all drystock farmers unite as part of the ICSA as he feels there is ‘strength in numbers.’

‘The fact is that farmers have to get real, and we can’t keep taking abuse after abuse from policy makers,’ he said.

Because of his former work as a postman, in and out of people’s houses for so many years, Dermot is acutely aware of the issues facing rural West Cork, something he feels government ministers are oblivious to.

‘Public transport is a big thing – the only bus in my village is the school bus; and I have to drive 60 miles if I want to get the train to Dublin,’ he points out.

Challenges around planning permission and rural isolation are other issues he feels need addressing.

If he wasn’t farming, he’d miss it, describing himself as a ‘stock man’ with a big interest in genetics.

And positively, he has confidence in the future of the industry.

‘If you produce good animals, if you do the work well enough, you will make a living, but it’s hard. There’s a lot against us, which is why I say suckler farming is more like a vocation than anything else,’ he said. When he’s not farming, or travelling the country for ICSA meetings, all in a vol- untary capacity, Dermot loves reading, and watching rugby.

‘Mary and I would travel to the matches and when Munster won their recent game by a point, we remarked how happy she would have been.’ A farmer recently said to him that if he died he’d be known as ‘the ICSA man.’

‘I spend a lot of time helping people with their paper work and filling out forms, and I enjoy it – I just can’t stand seeing people being wronged. So I’d be very happy with that.’

Drimoleague Concrete Works – Why we support West Cork Farming

Eugene Murnane of Drimoleague Concrete Works. (Photo by theheadshotguy.ie)

DRIMOLEAGUE Concrete Works Ltd is in the concrete and quarrying business in West Cork since 1970.

Based in West Cork, Drimoleague Concrete Works manufacture and supply readymix concrete, blocks, precast, crushed stone, concrete products, sand and gravel to the domestic, commercial, agricultural and maritime sectors and all products are manufactured and quarried in our own quality approved quarries.

It is our pleasure to once again sponsor and support the West Cork Farming Awards. We have been involved in these awards since the very beginning. We are delighted to come on board again this year with The Southern Star, the Celtic Ross Hotel and other local sponsors in what we see as a brilliant recognition and appreci- ation for those who have chosen to stay on the land. Through its sponsorship of the West Cork Farming Awards, Drimoleague Concrete Works aims to further strengthen its ties with the farming com- munity and contribute to the continued growth and success of the agricultural sector in West Cork.

We believe the farming community play a very big part in the West Cork area and contribute hugely to the local economy. We appreciate the support the local farming community gives to our business. Many of our employees come from a farming background and are fully aware of local farmers’ requirements in quarry stone and concrete products. Drimoleague Concrete Works is committed to supporting the local agricultural community and recognising the outstanding achievements of farmers in the region.

‘We are thrilled to be sponsors of the West Cork Farming Awards,’ said Eugene Murnane of Drimoleague Concrete Works.

‘Farmers play a vital role in our community, and we are dedicated to providing them with the highest quality concrete solutions to support their operations. This sponsorship allows us to recognise and celebrate their remarkable achievements, innovation, and commitment to sustainable farming practices.’

Know somebody deserving of a West Cork Farming Award?

Monthly award winners could be a farmer, someone working in agri-business, agri-entrepreneurship, a farming organisation or even someone involved in education or research and development. The awards panel will be looking for examples of great work, innovation and overall contribution to West Cork farming and agricultural life.

If you would like to suggest someone to be considered for a monthly farming award, please contact us by email on [email protected] or call 028 21200