Sometimes we take for granted the most lovely things that are on our own doorstep and we don’t take time to visit them so today I decided to be a tourist and walk the Gleann Loop and then visit Fiona Mac Lachlann’s Mara Island Heritage Farm. I was very much in luck because Fiona was just about to go about feeding the animals. First we went off to see the pigs Mela and Madhu, with their family of very cute and well fed banbhs (piglets). The pigs are honey coloured and hence their names; Mela is the Latin for honey and Madhu is the Hindi word for same, although Fiona swears that Ghengis/ Churchill is a more common name for pigs owing to their striking good looks! Churchill said, I like pigs, dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, pigs treat us as equals! Tamir is the resident boar I thought Tamir was a very exotic name for a pig that is close to an Irish native breed and I asked her why she didn’t call him Tomás but the story of his name makes perfect sense. Tamir is short for Tamir-the -lame otherwise known as Tamerlane, successor to Ghengis Khan and poor old Tamir is neither good looking nor lame so he is called Tamir! The pigs are Tamworths- Ireland no longer has native Irish pigs but the Tamworth is the closest we have so it is a very special treat to be able to see them here on Cape. Tamworth pigs are a hardy bunch will live well outside and don’t suffer from sunburn. They love rooting around and eating grass, their diet is mostly grass with some supplementary feed to ensure optimum health. The pigs roam around in the fields and they also have a cosy shed they can go in and out of day or night. The happy piggy is definitely a tasty pig, the rashers and sausages and hams from Mara Farm are so delicious and taste like pork should taste, people of a certain vintage will know what real home- reared pork tastes like and you can’t really buy that in a supermarket, but you can get it here and if you have never tried it then you should!
Fiona’s farm also includes The Carraig Aonair herd of Kerry-Bog ponies, they stand 11 hands high maximum (about 44 inches to the shoulder) and they are very clever and hardy little ponies. You might wonder what a Kerry pony is doing on a Cork island well..they originally came to farm so that Fiona’s niece and nephew could ride them when they were children but also the Kerry pony was used on Cape in the past to do very light farm work and occasionally to pull a drag to transport groceries from the shop to home. The little hardy pony has long a history here and Fiona is very keen to preserve the living heritage of Ireland’s rare breeds. Some of her ponies have lovely names like Calypso, Jinx, Sapphire and Ré-Sheoid/Moonstone.
Other Kerry exports to Cape are the Kerry Cows with their long white horns with black tips that stand out on the landscape. Kerry Cows were fast going into decline in Ireland but they are thriving here. These cows are a very special part of Ireland’s heritage. They are great dual purpose cows, in other words they produce creamy milk and tasty meat. The cows are small and hardy thriving on the wild grasses and herbage on the island. On a moonlit Easter Sunday night one of the cows had a bit of bother calving, the calf turned every way except the right way and so as is common in situations like this, a meitheal of local farmers came to help out, Patrick C. Ó Drisceoil had a jack, he worked his magic ensuring the safe arrival of the calf. Fiona; like many farmers, has her own system of naming her calves, all are named in alphabetical order and K was the next on the list,in honour of Patrick’s help with her arrival the calf was officially named Kirtap of The Glen Herd but she also responds to the name Kiri! After a lovely walk around the fields to admire the ladies and Jimmy -The- Bull we returned to feed the ducks, hens and guinea fowl. As soon as we approached the enclosure the sound of chirping, cheeping, quacking and crowing rose to greet us as they rushed out to devour their treats. Little ducklings trotted after protective mammas and the hen mama did her best to hide her young chicks from inquisitive eyes. The Guinea fowl have been a part of Mara Heritage Farm since the very beginning, Fiona’s father and sister were their way back from a trip when they spotted an advertisement in the newspaper for guinea-fowl, they went to visit the farmer to buy some but the farmer was looking for too much money but while negotiations were ongoing he plied his visitors with food and drink and chat as they were leaving he pressed two eggs into their hands; the eggs he said would make a fine breakfast and would ensure that they would come back for the hens! However, on reaching home they heard the sound of a clucky hen, a little bantam was very broody so they placed the eggs under her and the guinea fowl have been part of the farm ever since.
After the animals were fed we returned to the café and farm shop where I was treated to a lovely coffee and spiced beef on home-made soda bread and a really tasty buttery shortbread to finish off. Speaking of tastes... the spiced beef, hams and rashers and sausages are a real gourmet treat, a true artisan product and a taste of Cape Clear. I asked Fiona why the food I just had tasted so different from the meat in the shops and she laughingly remarked that it was the grass which is misted with salt from the Atlantic Ocean! I am inclined to believe her! As I was reluctantly leaving with Max, my trusty hound, I heard the unique cry of the guinea hens and according to Fiona, her grandmother always swore they are saying ‘come back! come back!’ I will take their advice and return again for a lovely morning around Mara Island Heritage Farm.
Mara Island Heritage Farm has seasonal opening hours you can get in touch at capeclearmara@gmail.com or 028-39121.
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