In 2012 I have the opportunity to spend several weeks in
Ireland. The beautiful scenery, abundant and humbling
history and the chatty and welcoming people made this trip better than I could
have ever imagined. Of all the places I
explored, one of my absolute favorites was the Kissane Sheep Farm. This farm has been in the family of John
Kissane for over 150 years and is home to over 1,000 sheep. I fell
in love with the farm and upon talking more with John, I found myself
captivated by his story.
Ireland’s sheep farms are heavily subsidized by the European
Union. The income of average sheep
farmer in Ireland is approximately €12,000 annually and for most farms,
subsidies account for more than 50% of that income. Due to
changing European regulations, increasing food and medical costs, and declining
prices of lambs and wool, it is less economically viable to raise sheep in the
traditional way – but why?
The globalization of Ireland’s economy has played a major
role in the deviation from traditional farming.
Sheep farming was once a highly honored tradition and occupation but is
now viewed as a risky and unprofitable endeavor. Sweaters, socks and blankets
were the most commonly produced woolen goods and since locals were only able to
make enough for themselves, an export industry was virtually non-existent at
one time. However, in the 1890s, the British government pushed to
improve local industries in Ireland by encouraging large scale textile production. Because of this the wool industry grew dramatically
but deteriorated in the first half of the 19th century when the linen industry
outpaced its growth and demand for exports dramatically decreased.
Today a majority of the wool from John’s flock is shipping
off to France where it isn’t used to make clothing, rugs or other household
goods. The wool is actually worth more
to many other countries for its lanolin that is used in many cosmetic and skin
care products. What was remarkable to me
about my conversation with John is that I had been in the market for a handmade
Irish wool sweater. As he was telling me
about how his wool is exported, all I could picture were the dozens of sweaters
I had pondered purchasing over the last few days that had tags detailing that
the wool came from some other place besides Ireland.
Ireland is one of the most globalized economies in the world
and was once referred to as the Celtic Tiger.
During this Celtic Tiger boom, Ireland went from being one of the
poorest countries in the EU to one of the richest. As Ireland offers one of the world’s lowest
corporate tax rates, it has attracted many large multinational corporations
such as Google, Amazon, and Pfizer to set up shop and helped to create many
jobs. That led to prosperity and caused
a housing boom similar to the U.S. that eventually blew up, taking down the
housing market and the banking system.
In 2008, it became apparent that the Celtic Tiger was dead
and recession was setting in. GDP was
falling, unemployment was increasing and real estate prices were falling at an
alarming rate. In 2010, Ireland was
forced to seek multi-billion dollar loans from the IMF and EU and in 2011, Ireland’s
bonds were downgraded by Moody’s and labeled as junk bonds. Ack!
The story of the Celtic Tiger is complicated but fascinating. Whenever I walked into a pub or restaurant, the locals were always quick to discover that I was a tourist and not just any tourist but an American tourist. The Irish have such a profound history and when you couple that with their gift for gab, you find yourself in deep conversations with a community that accepts your presence with open arms. Just like in the U.S., banks and politicians were blamed for the Irish recession but one key learning emerged for me – the Irish were dealing with the economic turmoil in it a much different way than we were. Community and culture preservation are a daily focus for the Irish and because of that, they are a phenomenally resilient group of people. For hundreds of years, Ireland has been plagued with war, family and disease and at one time, Ireland’s largest export was its people. These key events have made the Irish who they are and after my trip, I had a whole new outlook on the global economy and the importance of local living economies.
John is diversifying his business to keep it alive. At
Kissane Sheep Farm, you can Adopt-A-Sheep and help preserve the more classic
Irish heritage of family farming or you can simply stop by for a tour that
includes a sheep herding demonstration and shearing demonstration. If you’re ever in the Ring of Kerry, I highly
suggest making the stop and having a conversation that will be deep and
meaningful with John and his family. You
won’t regret it!
