Cork Wagyu to feature on agri TV show

A Cork man who battled adversity to fulfill his dream of breeding Japanese cattle will be among those featuring on Ear to the Ground this week.

Conor Sheahan from Millstreet has had a challenging few years after overcoming a house fire and suspected stroke.

Conor’s difficulties ended up becoming a turning point in his life, prompting him to sell his dairy herd in 2018 and turn his hobby of breeding Japanese cattle into a business.

Wagyu comprises four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle.

The cattle are derived from cross-breeding of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, most of which originated from Europe. The practice began in the 20th century.

Finding its place among the most expensive meats in the world, Wagyu beef has a strong fat marbling score which, giving it a tender and moist quality. Marbling also adds flavour to the meat.

The episode will also feature sheep farmer John Keeley from Dunderry in Meath who halved his workload and increased his income with a breed of sheep that is new to Ireland.

Other anticipated highlights include a focus on the work of craftsman, Eoin Mangan who balances his time working in a cooperage called Dair Nua with helping run the family farm.

While there were once hundreds of coopers working around the country, today there are only a handful of active coopers left.

The Dair Nua cooperage in Foxford in Co Mayo has been established to meet the needs of a Irish whiskey revival.

These stories will feature in this week’s episode of Ear to the Ground on Thursday on RTÉ One at 7pm. A repeat will be screened on Sunday on the same channel.