The family of their Irish classmate, Brendan, warmly welcomed all the students to enjoy a weekend of Irish hospitality, food and culture. They got the opportunity to visit different artisan gourmet companies including the premium award winning cider making company, LongwaysTipperary Cider, owned by James O’Donoghue. They understood the process of making artisan cider from apples picked directly from their farm bridging modern technology and age old farming techniques. Apart from their informative food tour they were lucky to visit the biggest stallion farm in the world, Coolmore stud farm where they got a sneak peak at the glamorous lives of horses and the racing world.

They visited the Rock of Cashel, which is one of Ireland’s most famous and picturesque castles. Brendan also brought the class to his family farm, where his brother runs one of Ireland’s largest sheep dairy enterprises. They supply the sheep milk to a host of different cheesemakers in the region. The night ended in Jim of the Mills pub where class took part in singing, dancing and socializing with the locals. The following day, they paid a visit to Cahir Castle and Traas farm. They saw how they produce strawberries, raspberries and a host of other fruits to make juices and jams.
The trip turned out to be the perfect opportunity for students to bond while immersing themselves in the Irish way of life. This was a tour that truly gave the students a Farm to Fork experience!

Divya Mohan and Brendan Crosse (FIPDes students 2015-2017)