In early June, Millcreek-West Unity FFA members: Brooke Moreland, Olivia Rossman, and Nate Wieland, two parents, and Miss Frey traveled with EF Tours to Ireland experiencing their “Agriculture in Ireland” STEM tour.
Flying out of Detroit on June 5th, the group landed in Dublin, Ireland on June 6th after a layover in Boston.
After quickly meeting up with the rest of the tour group from Van Buren, Ohio, South Carolina, and Minnesota, and meeting the tour director, Tiarnan O’Sullivan, the group began exploring and touring Dublin for the next two days while becoming adjusted to the time change.
While in Dublin, the group learned from Tiarnan and local guides about the history of Ireland visiting EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, and the Irish National Museum. They also experienced and were immersed in the traditional culture of Ireland through touring St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Taylor’s Three Rock, which was a restaurant and entertainment venue dating back to the 1690’s complete with a straw thatched roof. At Taylor’s the group experienced traditional Irish dancing and music and were invited to join in the celebration.
From Dublin, the group traveled to Waterford, located in the south-east of Ireland founded in 914 AD and originally a Viking settlement, where they remained for the next three days.
To begin their stay in the Waterford area, they toured the Irish National Stud and Gardens. Here they saw some the most elite Thoroughbreds in the world and walked through the beautiful Japanese Gardens. The group then had lunch at a farmers’ market in Kilkenny, followed by a tour of Kilkenny Castle which was built over 800 years ago in the 13th century.
The following day, the group enjoyed exploring more of the Kilkenny region by experiencing tours set up by Farm Tours Ireland. They began the morning with a tour of Highbank Orchards in Farmley. Here the owners, Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, gave students a tour of their farm elaborating on the extensive history of the land, their farming practices, and their products.
The group was able to have a tasting of the delicious products they make themselves on the farm from the organic apples they grow. Highbank Orchard was one of everyone’s favorite tours on the trip!
For lunch the group was able to choose a place to enjoy in Kilkenny. Many chose to go to Kytler’s Inn which was the home of the last witch in Ireland and had quite a history with amazing food!
After lunch, the group made their way to the Lynch Farm where they learned from Noel Lynch about dairy farming. Noel explained his dairy management protocols including rotational grazing, cow care and management, and his robotic milking parlor. The students were able to walk through the parlor and pastures following biosecure measures!
On June 10th, the group traveled to Wexford with Farm Tours Ireland and visited The Village at Wheelocks to learn about strawberry farming. They toured the greenhouses where strawberries are imported from Holland and then planted in hydroponic trays. After the tour, students helped to plant starter plugs and were able to pick a few of the strawberries ready for harvest for themselves!
At Wheelock’s the students also experienced a pollinator feeding station called “The Wasp Star”. Because pollinators are essential and not as prevalent in Ireland, Wheelocks is one of the few places to incorporate this one-of-a-kind feature to their farm. “The Wasp Star” encourages wasps to come to the facility to pollinate the strawberries but stay away from customers by feeding the pollinators in a secluded location.
The next stop of the day was Redmond Farm, where students had a farm-to-fork experience. Andrea, the farm manager, gave students the background of the farm and explained that the farm grew all of the food for two hotels in the area: Amber Springs Resort Hotel and Ashdown Park. Students then helped plant vegetable plugs, net areas that had been planted, and weed the growing beds for the farm. They were then treated to a delicious farm-to-fork supper of burgers, coleslaw, and chips at Ashdown Park!
From Waterford, the group traveled three hours west to County Clare stopping to enjoy the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher on their way to Galway. The group was blessed with some truly beautiful weather for a gorgeous view of the cliffs! The group was able to spend time exploring the rim and walking along the cliffs before Tiarnan arranged for a seaside cruise so the group could see the cliffs from the sea!
The group then finished their route to the University of Galway where they were accommodated in the newly refurbished dorms at the University that were quite nice for the next couple of days.
On June 12th, the group made their way to Connemara, County Galway and started the day at Glengowla Mines. Keith Geoghegan and his staff gave everyone a tour of the mines on his farm that mined minerals such as fluorite and lead until abandoned in 1865. After returning aboveground, Keith talked to the group about raising sheep in Ireland, and along with his 23-month-old Border Collie, Pip, gave a sheep herding demonstration with his sheep that are now raised on the mountain. This was another highlight of the trip for students; Pip is a very intelligent and hard-working girl!
For lunch the group ate at Kylemore Abbey home to the Benedictine Order o
f Nuns for 100 years but has since become a day school and open for visitors to tour the abbey and gardens. This beautiful abbey is nestled at the base of the Connemara Mountains and makes for an incredible view. Making their way through the Connemara Mountains to the coast and traveling on some one-lane roads, the group found their way to Connemara Oysters where David Keane and his team gave us the history of the oyster farm and allowed the students to try their hand at various oyster farming tasks. At the end of the tour, students were able to try fresh oysters in which Olivia remarked, “They aren’t bad. They taste like the ocean.”
On the last day in Galway, the group was treated to a walking tour of Galway by tour director Michael McCabe learning about the history of the western region of Ireland. They were then able to independently walk through the delightful little city picking up souvenirs, eating lunch and learning about the history of the Claddagh Ring.
The group returned to Detroit the evening of June 15th.
To say that the trip was an amazing experience was an understatement. The students, parents, and Miss Frey returned home with memories that they will never forget. This experience gave everyone a deeper understanding of other cultures and how agriculture plays an important role in every society.
It also gave them a deeper appreciation for global agricultural practices. They are very appreciative of those who supported them financially, EF Tours and Farm Tours Ireland for putting together the amazing experience, the tour directors Tiarnan and Michael, and the Irish farmers who were willing to allow them to tour their farms and explain their farming practices!
(Information Courtesy Of The Group)