My name is Thomas Cosby. I am a sheep farmer and live at Stradbally Hall, Co. Laois with my wife Gesa and my children, Richard and Charlotte. Stradbally Hall is surrounded by 600 acres of rolling countryside and woodland, much of which is ancient woodland. I farm about 300 acres of pasture the balance being forestry and wildlife habitats. We lamb down 650 Lleyn ewes and keep a few hundred hoggets. We also keep a number of horses and ponies on livery .We have also hosted the Electric Picnic arts-and-music festival since 2004. We are delighted to be a part of this incentive by Dooley Wool and to see our wool being used in a sustainable manner by a local company. I look forward to what the future holds.

My name is Noel Clancy. I am a fourth-generation farmer based in Drangan in south Tipperary. I farm with my wife, Áine as well as our three children and my parents, Tom and Eileen. We produce mid-season lowland lamb with most going to a large processor in Kildare and a small amount sold locally through our local butcher. We also have a small flock of pedigree Poll Dorset’s which lamb in the Autumn and which are sold for breeding. We shear our own sheep and are delighted to see such a versatile material such as wool put to good use in these wonderful products.

My name is Erica O Keefe and I live on the outskirts of Cashel in Co Tipperary near the Rock of Cashel. We always kept sheep here on the farm. As a child going to school, my Mam, two sisters, brother and I would always help Dad out after school. After finishing school, I stayed at home at the age of 17 to help Dad on the farm. Working with sheep can be hard work. Lambing season is long hours but very rewarding when you see the ewes and lambs in the fields running about. I took over the farm in 2005 and it just wasn’t viable to farm sheep on their own so got into sucklers and now run the two together. There has to be more uses for wool and alternative uses going forward particularly with the times and changes we are heading into regards to climate change. There’s no doubt that there will be new and innovative uses for this wonderful fibre. I’m delighted to see our wool from Cashel being put to better uses for the bedding industry and to be a part of such a sustainable project.