The farmers

Tory Hill House is run by three generations of women who are passionate about farming and nature.

It is situated in the lush Limerick countryside and their journey began in 1987, when Catherine Quinn returned home to Ireland and bought the farm. Back then, the house was derelict, the outbuildings in disrepair and the farm in general was a bit of a mess. 

Today it is thriving and she has passed on her love of farm life to her daughter Kate and grand-daughter Hannah. They shared a zeal for regenerative agriculture, good food and farming for nature, and have almost completed a two year organic farm conversion with their official certifcation date in January 2024.

The average dairy herd in Ireland is 97 cows, but the family just has ten pedigree Hereford beef cattle and six dairy cows. They're stubbornly committed to bucking the trend and milk their dairy cows on a once-a-day system that is gentler and more relaxed for the ladies in the herd. 

Herefords are a traditional breed, that tie in with the Holistic grazing management on the farm and periodically throughout the year they sell organic beef boxes alongside their organic milk.

They also keep hens, ducks and geese and you can also buy the eggs in their little farm shop. 

Farm shop

You can visit our little farm shop and pick up milk, eggs and other products that come directly from our farm. We're open every day between 12pm to 6pm.

Farming for nature

  • Native Irish Black Bees

    In 2021, Hannah noticed that there were very few bees on her farm and a lower than normal apple harvest. She was worred that not enough was being done to support Ireland's native bee population and got her first hive - she now has three and can identify the pollen from wildflowers in the meadows where they graze cattle.

  • Holistic Grazing

    Tory Hill practices Holistic or Mob grazing which is a technique where wildflowers and grasses are given time to blossom and bloom. This allows pollinators and insects the chance to feed on them and helps to create layers of carbon as cattle trample the grasses into the earth. Cattle are regularly moved to prevent permanent damage to the fields.

  • Otter holt

    The family is fascinated by wildlife and are keen to create sanctuary areas on their farm. They have built ponds, erected bird boxes, planted native hedgerows and let meadows flourish. They've also built an otter holt! Hannah read a report from 1994 citing that otters were in the area but no one has ever seen any on the farm. Fingers crossed that will change this year!

Meet some of the team!

  • Maisie, Myrtle, Myriam and Molly

    The four British Friesian ladies on the farm are the primary milkers and are inseparable. They have stuck together through various boyfriends and work related drama, and can regularly be seen in a collective group gossiping and eating. Hence why they've earned their Sex and the City spin off farm series.

  • Mrs Murphy

    Mrs Murphy is one of the 10 pedigree Hereford cows living on Hannah's farm. She is a big lady who loves her food but unlike her sisters on the farm does not enjoy scratches. She has lots of milk for a beef cow and has only ever produced bull calves but Hannah REALLY wants her to have a heifer to keep breeding from her line.

  • Mrs Goose

    Not to be outdone by the cows. We also keep a number of hens, ducks and geese on the farm. There has always been a Mrs Goose, and the name has stuck and passed to successive generations of mother geese. There is usually also a gander lurking in the mix who has been known to take on anyone from foxes to farm workers if they get too close to Mrs Goose.