Aidan Griffin

Aidan is a young farmer who is very enthusiastic about all aspects of nature and farming. He is always open to trying new things on his farm to improve the conditions for wildlife and also for his beef herd. He understands the challenges of farming in the west of Ireland better than most and wants to keep the tradition going for future generations. In Glencar, Co. Kerry, Aidan and his parents have always farmed the traditional way with nature as opposed to farming against it. Aidan runs a suckler beef enterprise with 40 Hereford, Shorthorn crosses on 102 hectares. The farm is spread across three blocks of land that run along 3 km of freshwater pearl mussel habitat in the Caraghbeg River. Aidan operates an out-wintering system and has resisted the temptation of building a large slatted shed to house these animals. This makes the farm unique in the area and means they generate no slurry and removing the risk of nutrient losses to the river network in this high rainfall area. The habitats present are managed and grazed sustainably throughout the year and the farm is alive with wild flora and fauna which is located in SAC 000365 Killarney National Park, MacGillycuddy’s Reeks & Caragh River Catchment. The farm is made up of predominantly wet grasslands, blanket bog, wet heath, dense native woodland, semi-natural grasslands improved grasslands and mountain.

Nominators: Padraig Cronin and Richard O'Callaghan, KerryLIFE Project