West Cork Farming Awards 2023 - celebrating our people in agriculture

A new approach for 2023, building on the success of the last eight years

 

THE West Cork Farming awards celebrate the wonderful people, families, businesses and organisations involved in farming throughout West Cork. These awards run by The Southern Star and The Celtic Ross Hotel shine a 'spotlight’ on a diverse range of examples of outstanding achievements and contributions to West Cork farming and agriculture from farmers, families, individuals, agri-businesses, farming organisations, entrepreneurs and innovators across our region.

The awards are enormously popular amongst readers of The Southern Star and visitors to southernstar.ie and our social media. We receive fantastic feedback every year from finalists, winners, sponsors, farmers, agri-industry representatives and readers.

Hall of fame winner – Andy Mahon

Farming Awards Hall of Fame recipient Andy Mahon. (Photo: Andy Gibson)

 

Andy is the powerhouse who set up Bandon Vale, starting out in a production unit in the town’s Watergate Street, before expanding to a €2m purpose built facility in Lauragh, before being acquired by Bandon Co-op.

Read more about why we chose Andy here.

West Cork Farming Family – The O'Donovans

John O'Donovan with his wife Denise and children Eugene, Ally and John. (Photo: John Daly)

 

Family is at the heart of the O’Donovan dairy farm near Clonakilty, and it’s that focus and united drive that saw them take a leap of faith and successfully diversify into agri-tourism this year.

Read more about why we chose the O'Donovan family here.

Our monthly winners so far

 

May winner – Katie Shanahan

Katie with the beef catter on the family farm at Connonagh near Leap. (Photo: Anne Minihane)

 

An obvious choice for the awards panel, Katie Shanahan is a powerhouse on both the local and national agricultural scene.

Read more about why we chose Katie here.

June winner – Dermot Kelleher

Beef and sheep farmer and ICSA President Dermot Kelleher on his farm in Inchigeela, West Cork. (Photo: Andy Gibson)

 

Dermot Kelleher is president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association which represents 12,000 farm families nationally.

Read more about why we chose Dermot here.

July winner – Kitty Cotter

Kitty Cotter at this year’s agricultural show in Dunmanway. (Photo: Denis Boyle)

 

When Kitty Cotter was asked to help out the Dunmanway Show committee as secretary, she readily agreed but there was one condition – she’d do it for just a month. That was 26 years ago.

Read more about why we chose Kitty here.

August winner – Ronald Shorten

Ronald and Betty Shorten on their dairy farm in Woodfield, West Cork. (Photo: Andy Gibson)

 

Ronald Shorten is August’s winner of The Southern Star’s West Cork Farming Awards. No stranger to accolades, the Lisavaird supplier was the runner-up in the prestigious NDC/Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards last year.

Read more about why we chose Ronald here.

September winner – Pat Moriarty

Pat Moriarty, the winner of the September West Cork Farming Award. (Photo: Andy Gibson)

 

Originally from Inch, Co Kerry and from a farming background, Pat has spent all of his working life in West Cork.

After completing a degree in agriculture in Dublin followed by a postgrad in finance and marketing he worked for Holland & Lehane in Bandon, before joining Lisavaird Co-op back in September 1983.

Read more about why we chose Pat here.

October winner – Ian Kingston

Ian Kingston on his farm in Dunmanway, West Cork. (Photo: Andy Gibson)

 

IAN Kingston never wanted to do anything but farm, and despite all the challenges currently facing the sector, he sees a positive future for the industry.

He farms at Sillertane, Dunmanway on a farm bought by his grandfather Harry in 1911 – read more about why we chose Ian here.