Good Guys Organic — Neantog Farm

Peter Cassidy and Eoin Guilfoyle at the Cliffony Country Market

We had heard of Peter and Eoin before they became the “Good Guys Organic”. A former colleague from The Organic Centre had alerted us that two of the students on the centre’s prestigious organic horticulture course were in the process of taking over Aidan Gillen’s “Tattie Hoaker Farm” in Cliffony. And in January 2022 the two stepped up to the challenge and went about putting everything they had learned on the year long course into action. Both are originally not from a farming background, so we asked them why they like what they do: “We like what we do, because we can work outside and work with our hands” says Eoin and Peter agrees: “It's great to be able to spend every day outside in nature and great views of the mountains and sea on either side.” It looks to us they have well settled into the Cliffony community, as Peter points out: “We have met some really positive people, who really care about the environment and where their food comes from.”

For us, who have been growing and promoting organic food since we arrived here in 1985, it is always very heartening and exciting to see another generation coming after us. Is growing organically important to you and why, we ask Peter and Eoin and the answer is unequivocally: “Organic is important because it's about protecting and regenerating the soil. Chemical fertilisers are depleting nutrients from the future soils and make things more difficult for the next generation.”

Putting knowledge into practice

After graduating from The Organic Centre their greatest challenge was planning the crops and getting organised on the farm. Fortunately Aidan Gillen had already established Tattie Hoaker farm since 1997, so they did not have to start from scratch.

“We grow on two acres and in four polytunnels” at present says Eoin and Peter adds “we concentrate on salad crops, potatoes, onion, chard, kale and tomatoes at present, but we also try other crops like yacòns and chillies as well.”

Currently they supply restaurants and cafes in the North Sligo area with the intention to expand. They also sell direct to customers via a box scheme and have a lovely farm shop, which is open Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. The shop not only stocks their vegetables, but also organic eggs from the farm and other baked goodies

Asked about their plans for next year they answer: “We hope to get a lot more visitors to the farm. We are also planning to sell cut flowers. Another project is getting a coffee cart and beyond growing food we hope to run some yoga and Pilates classes.” We certainly love their ambition and their energy and it is hard to believe they are in business for just a year. Watch their space!