Dúlra

30/09/2026

Building tractor and road safety awareness among our young people is so important for keeping them safe, on the farm and on the road.
The Dúlra Project was delighted to provide this training to approx 40 young Ag Science students from Clifden Community School and St Paul’s, Oughterard.

With funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the training gave students an opportunity to develop their knowledge and awareness of tractor and farm safety in a practical setting.

14/09/2026

𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲, 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁!

We’re offering a FREE Working at Heights Safety Course for farmers, fully funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Farming often involves climbing, fixing, or building at height, but safety comes first! This course gives you the skills, confidence, and practical tips to stay safe while working at heights on your farm.

📌 Who is it for?
All farmers looking to improve their safety skills – at no cost to you!

Get in touch for dates and locations.

Places are limited – don’t miss this chance to boost safety on your farm!

14/09/2026

04/09/2026

Fantastic event yesterday by CAP Network Ireland in Tullamore which highlighted the significance of women's inputs into farming and the environment.
Some inspirational ladies spoke on their love of the job and the associated difficulties of being a woman in this sector from equipment, PPE, pensions and succession.
Lots more conversations to be had around this issue.

02/09/2026

30/08/2026

Great day for the Oughterard Show. Lovely to chat with so many today about the work we do in Connemara and South Mayo.

17/07/2026

The Dúlra Project will be featured on RTÉ Radio 1’s CountryWide tomorrow, speaking with Philip Boucher-Hayes about the project, our work controlling invasive species across Connemara, and the wool-based prototypes we have been developing for bog restoration since 2022, along with plenty more.
It was a pleasure, as always, to chat with Philip and to have the opportunity to talk about the work of the Dúlra team, the communities and landowners involved, and the potential to create practical, nature-based uses for Irish wool.
We hope people will find the interview of interest.

30/06/2026

Isn't our Colm looking well?
Great farmer and a great ambassador for the Dúlra Project.
Well done Colm.

Meet Colm!

Colm Gavin is the 8th generation of his family to earn a living from land situated in a Special Area of Conversation on the Mayo/Galway border near Doo Lough. Colm is a part-time sheep farmer, heavily involved in community work. He is currently employed by FORUM Connemara CLG on the Dúlra project helping to mobilise local farmers in conservation and peatland restoration activities.

The farm consists of 75ha of private land and 100ha of commonage. Commonage is a common ownership model in upland areas in Ireland. “In my case I have a ¼ share in the commonage and we all have an equal say in the management of that commonage. Across the valley there are 60 shareholders and they all have the same say. We’re quite lucky that the four of us are active farmers on the hills and we all get on. It does help that one of them is my brother, one is my father, and our poor old neighbour has to deal with us,” he says smiling. “My farm is a family farm, but it is also surrounded by my family’s farms as well, if that makes sense.”

Besides sheep farming, Colm is exploring other revenue streams for the farm and is keen to invite the public onto his land. Colm is quite progressive in his thought processes around farming on marginal land. “I host Wild Atlantic Nature on their open days, and ACRES, when their staff have training days. I host my own open days as well so that people can see what I have done on the farm. It’s to show that you can do things with nature in mind and still farm productively but also think about what production means. Production isn’t just meat, it’s about water, carbon, the public good and even aesthetics. All if this is production but we only get paid for producing protein. It’s about getting people's heads around these concepts and showing them what I think about this.”

Colm cares deeply about where he comes from and wants his community to thrive in the future. He believes that upland farmers will play an important role in the future management of biodiversity. Invasive species like Rhododendron and Millenia become a serious problem for native species where land is not under careful stewardship. “With people on the ground visiting their land almost daily, they can focus on an emerging problem and manage it with grazing or whatever,” he says.

To read more about Colms story see https://capnetworkireland.pulse.ly/7mxu679us4