Daffodils proving to be a lucrative business for farm in Kilkenny that grows the flowers for export.
At this time of year the fields around the village of Kells in County Kilkenny are a sea of yellow. The busiest time of year has just passed for daffodil producers John and Geraldine Hughes, who export their crop to the United States in February. The leftover flowers are being picked by volunteers from the Irish Cancer Society for their annual Daffodil Day appeal.
The Hughes family switched to flower farming four years ago as it is more profitable than traditional tillage crops. According to John the daffodils have also started to attract people at weekends,
It's become a bit of a tourist spot.
While the daffodils make for a beautiful sight at this time of year, Geraldine Hughes tells RTÉ News that the reality is
Not romantic. There is hard work involved.
Next year the fields around Kells may change, as John & Geraldine are thinking about growing tulips and gladioli.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 15 March 1999. The reporter is Joe O’Brien.
