26/09/2026
On the latest podcast Greg chatted with John O’Brien, a farmer from Barryroe in West Cork, the Chairman of Barryroe Co-op and the Chairman of Carbery Group.
When John’s father died in an accident on the farm in 1979, life changed for this 15 year old. Instead of leasing out the farm, his mum Peggy decided to drive on, and two years later and without any regret, a veterinary career was swapped for farming.
Since then, not only did John run the farm but he also got stuck in and got heavily involved in the institutions that support farming such as Grassland Association, Ornua, the local Barryroe Co-op and Carbery Group.
On the podcast John spoke about his life, the business of farming, the election process that earned him these positions, the importance of the next generation of farmers, land use, climate change, the importance of innovation and we also discussed regenerative farming.
The overwhelming thing that struck me about John was his positivity, which I am sure has been a huge gift to anyone he works with and the organisations that he serves.
Enjoy the show
On today's podcast I chatted with , a farmer from Barryroe in West Cork, the and the . When John’s father died in an accident on the farm in 1979, life changed for this 15 year old. Instead of leasing out the farm, his mum Peggy decided to drive on, and two years later and without any regret, a ve...