Holidaying on the land in County Kerry. The many attractions of farmhouse holidays.
'On the Land' reports on the growing industry of farmhouse holidays around Ireland. As Bord Fáilte (Irish Tourist Board) seeks to promote farmhouse holidays as a viable option for foreign and indigenous tourism, a report from a farmhouse in Ardfert, Co. Kerry on how a working farm accommodates visitors.
The film shows children petting livestock and discusses how city children who previously only ever played with toy animals now have the opportunity to feed and look after live animals. Reporter Larry Sheedy describes how the boys enjoy rounding up the cows for milking and helping to organise the feeding of the calves, while the girls generally prefer to look after the poultry and help collecting the eggs.
Farmer William (Willie) Dillon describes how he welcomes the visitors to the farm, and talks about growing his own vegetables and self-sufficiency. Children consider a "placid pony" a must on the farm. For the city family, the country farmhouse offers a cheap, attractive vacation on their doorstep.
Farmhouse holidays allow parents and children to get an insight into the complexities of farming life. For farming families it is a chance to see new faces and hear new ideas. Farmhouse holidays can go some way to bridging the urban-rural divide.
