Lusk Farmers & Food Producers
The Home of Food & Farming in Fingal
LUSK
The Home of Food & Farming in Fingal
Fingal County has a long and distinguished association with growing food. We have some of the most fertile soil in Ireland and with combined a temperate climate, make it an ideal region for food production. Rush is renowned for its free draining sandy soil, which is perfect for growing tender vegetables and flowers. However, the soil in Lusk is very different, a composition of heavy clay makes it suitable for growing a wide variety of hardy fruit and vegetables, as well as cereal crops such as wheat, barley, oats, protein beans and oil seed rape. You’ll also find some of the greenest grass here too, which is the corner stone of milk, beef and lamb production.
Fingal provides around 55% of the country’s fresh produce, which includes berries, plums, apples, pears, lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, asparagus, potatoes, beetroot, onions and spring onions, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, celeriac, leeks, spinach, broccoli, fennel, turnips, parsnips and many more, hence why Fingal is also known as the bread basket of Ireland!
It has long been recognised as Ireland’s foremost horticultural region, a sector that employs some 970 people with a total farm gate value of approximately €81m. It produces 15% of the national potato output, 47% of field vegetables and 37% of protected fruits, vegetables and nursery plants.
The number of farms in Fingal has reduced over the last 20 years, as Dublin city has expanded and more housing estates have been developed to cater for the growing population. However, there is still a significant number of farms in Fingal engaged in specialist horticulture and fruit production. Approximately 180 farmers in Fingal are involved in tillage and there are about 70 cattle herds and 80 flocks of sheep.
In addition to growing food, Fingal also has two of Ireland’s leading fishing ports, situated in Skerries and Howth, where there are daily landings of shellfish, cod, sea trout, lemon sole, plaice, salmon, turbot, swordfish, and many other seasonal species. Much of this seafood is processed in Fingal before being distributed to restaurants and retail outlets across Ireland and Europe.
Thankfully Lusk has a very progressive Heritage Group. They have recorded many stories from the days when people worked with horses in the fields and harvested the crops by hand, before modern farm machinery took hold. Take a look at this excellent video produced by the Heritage Group to see how Lusk appeared to an American visitor, who wrote an article for the Worcester Sunday Telegram in 1949 entitled, Life in an Irish Village. www.youtube.com/lusk_heritage_group/
The Lusk Community Past to Present Facebook Page has a wonderful archive of photographs, about the residents that once lived in Lusk in a bygone era. We are very fortunate that the history and heritage of our once rural farming town has been preserved.
Farming in Lusk Today
Despite the rapid expansion of Lusk in the last twenty years, we are fortunate to still have a number of farms located in the heart of our town. Here are some of our farmers who continue the strong tradition of growing food in Fingal.
GDL Produce
The Harford Family; brothers Gerard, Dennis and Lorcan have been growing vegetables in Lusk for three generations. Today they specialise in growing cabbage, cauliflower, parsnips, celery, broccoli, leeks, beetroot, spinach and celeriac. Take a look at this video where Dennis and Lorcan explain how they grow such a wide variety of vegetables in Lusk. www.youtube.com/GDL_Produce/
Taylor's of Lusk
The Taylor family have resided at Chapel Farm in Lusk since the early 1800’s. Originally it was a mixed farm compromising of various crops and animals, which was common place Fingal up until the late 1980’s. Since then, farmers have become more consumer focused and started specialising in specific varieties of fruit and vegetables. Today, Taylor’s of Lusk are renowned for growing chilli, turnips, swedes and award winning garlic. Take a look at this video where Mark and Alan explain how they grow turnips and swedes in Lusk. Totalproducefoodservice.ie/Taylors_Lusk/
Carroll Produce
The Carroll family, Paul and his father Barney have been farming in Lusk for two generations. Barney specialised in growing tomatoes in glasshouses as well as iceberg lettuce. Paul followed in his father’s footsteps and started growing spring onions when he was just 16 years old. Today he has developed Carroll Produce into the largest spring onion and celery growers in Ireland and complements these crops with white cabbage, leeks and lettuce. In this article from Irish Tractor & Agri, Paul explains how his farm is constantly evolving to meet the demands of modern food production. Irishtractor.ie/Carroll_Produce/
Gaffney Family
The Gaffney Family have been farming in Lusk for three generations. Brothers Brendan and Con took over the family farm more than 30 years ago. Brendan focuses on growing cabbage, turnips and potatoes for retail processors and the catering sector, as well as growing a variety of cereals. Con specialises in growing carrots and parsnips for whole sale suppliers, but also grows leeks, beetroot, cabbage and cauliflowers for his farm shop, as well as producing free range eggs. You’ll find Gaffney’s FARM SHOP by the round about, on the road to Skerries. Open from Tuesday to Saturday from spring through to autumn and two days a week in the winter season. Here is a short video of Brendan preparing seed beds for planting potatoes on Little Christmas!
Country Crest
Four generations of the the Hoey Family have been farming in Lusk since 1910. Michael and Gabriel joined their father on the family farm and established Country Crest in 1993. They started to wash and pre-pack potatoes for the retail sector, which was a new concept at the time. Country Crest has since developed into one of largest food producers in Ireland. Specialising in growing potatoes and onions, raising their own beef herd, importing sweet potatoes and using all of these ingredients in their Ballymaguire Food Range. They also have a Farm Shop, located at Jone’s Garden Centre. Here is a video of Michael explaining how to grow and harvest onions in an Irish climate.
Llewellyn Orchards
Llewellyn Orchards was establish by David Llewellyn in Lusk almost 20 years ago. The soil and climate in this region is renowned for growing fruit and vegetables, so David decided to focus on growing apples, pears, cherries and surprisingly grapevines! He now produces three different red wines and a sparkling wine from his Cabernet Sauvignon crop, aptly named Lusca. He also produces cider, perry, vinegar and fruit juices. He sells his fruit when it’s in season at farmers markets and in Country Crest’s farm shop, at Jones’s Garden Centre. He recently featured on RTE’s Ear to the Ground, click on the link to find out more about how David became one of Ireland first wine producers. www.rte.ie/llewllyns_orchards
Juliasdale Oragnic Farm
Juliasdale Organic Farm was established by Pat Babbet in 2006. He breeds pedigree Lleyn sheep, as their meat is slightly leaner than other breeds. He choose this breed as Lleyn sheep are hardy and their ewes are good mothers. He delivers half and full lambs direct to his customers, freshly packed for cooking or freezing, from August to December. Pat also facilitates a Social Farming programme once a week, to help support people who benefit by engaging with farming activities. You can contact Juliasdale Organic Farm through Facebook.
Did You Know Fingal ...
1. The County of Fingal was formerly established in 1994, when Dublin County
Council was divided into four regions: Fingal, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown,
South County Dublin and Dublin City.
2. Swords became the County Town of Fingal and the County Hall and Council
offices were established on Swords Main Street.
3. Fingal has a population of over 296,214 (Census 2016). It’s the third most
populous local authority area in Ireland.
4. Fingal is the fastest county in Ireland; the population has double from 152,766 in 1991
to 296,214 in 2016.
5. Fingal County Council has 40 elected members.
6. Fingal County Council adopted a budget of €269m for 2020, to provide services and
investment designed to improve the county as a place in which to live, work
and invest – the equivalent of €911 per head of population.
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