The Farm
Our Story
Rathkennery Farm has been in the family for over 7 generations.
The family started the farm with pigs, chickens, cattle , sheep, orchards, vegetables and flowers. Over the years some areas of the farm were scaled back and others increased, but the care and passion still remains the same over generations.
The farm these days is predominantly cattle and sheep with some orchards.
We here at Rathkennery Farm pride ourselves on producing 100% grass finished Irish Beef and Lamb, while giving the animals a good, healthy, happy life out in the fields.
Cattle
The Cattle at Rathkennery Farm are all purchased from around Ireland.
- The animals are kept in the fields as long as they can be ( Irish weather permitting) as this is the best place for them.
- During the colder, wetter winter months they are brought inside out of the cold and the rain into sheds where they are fed silage, that is cut from our own fields.
- The cattle on the farm are predominantly heifers, this means that the cattle are female and have not had a calf.
- Heifers are the best choice for beef as we find it is more tender then Bull or Cow meat.
Sheep
We have over 200 sheep at Rathkennery farm that are kept outside year round in the Irish countryside.
- The sheep are crosses between mountain and low land breeds.
- This produces a sheep that is tough, and thrives in all weather and land conditions along with being very protective mothers to their lambs.
- When breeding these sheep for lambs we use lowland rams, such as Charolais, this creates a hardy lamb that does well in the Irish climate but also fattens quickly and easily solely off grass.