Living off the Land
Sowing Cabbage Seed
Tom Darcy sowing cabbage seed with Sean Whiston and Jimmy Kelly in Co. Wicklow
Courtesy of Wicklow County LibrariesSowing Cabbage Seed
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Sowing Cabbage Seed
Tom Darcy sowing cabbage seed with Sean Whiston and Jimmy Kelly in Co. Wicklow
Courtesy of Wicklow County LibrariesTraditionally, Co. Wicklow is associated more with agriculture and tourism than with any other economic activities. The old picture below shows three farmers sowing cabbage seed in Wicklow. It was taken in around the 1950s.
In recent times, there has been a large drop in the numbers of farmers in Wicklow.
In the next few pages, we will take a look at how farming has developed in Wicklow over the years and what the future holds.
Farming What?
Wicklow Table
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Rounding up the Sheep
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries
Before we have a look at the history of farming, let's get a picture of the kind of farms in Co. Wicklow at present.
The 1991 census is the most recent survey. It showed that there were around 2,700 farms with an average size of 126 acres each. An acre is about the same size as a small football field. The table to the left shows the breakdown of farms in Wicklow.
You can see that sheep farming is the most popular type, with 762 farms listing it as their main activity. It is estimated there around 300,000 ewes in Wicklow, almost three times the amount of people.
There were 386 farms engaged in dairy farming, with approximately 25,000 cows contributing 25 million gallons of milk.
About 12% of the land, mainly in the east of the county, is suitable for intensive cereal growing. The 600 farmers on arable land mainly grow barley and wheat.