Seánie O’Baoill

Location: An Fál Carrach, Dún na nGall
Farm Size: 80 hectares
Enterprise Type: Sheep and suckler beef
Farming Legacy: 5th generation

Seánie O’Baoill – Nature-Friendly Irish Farmer Leading the Way in Sustainable Sheep Farming

Seánie O’Baoill is a respected Irish farmer and passionate advocate for nature-friendly farming. Based near An Fál Carrach in the Donegal Gaeltacht, Seánie runs a traditional sheep and cattle farm spanning 80 hectares of rich and diverse landscapes, including upland commonage, coastal lowlands, and on Toraigh Island. His family farm is home to 150 Mayo and Connemara ewes and 8 Belted Galloway cows, raised in a way that puts biodiversity, wildlife, and sustainability at the centre.

Seánie inherited the farm from his uncle in 1991. While his early years focused on production, his approach shifted over time to prioritise sustainable, nature-positive farming practices. He no longer uses artificial fertilisers or reseeds his land, allowing native grasses and habitats to flourish. His sheep lamb on the mountainside, and native woodlands along the river are left untouched. In 2014, he created a wildlife pond that now supports pollinators and local beekeeping efforts — all part of his mission to farm in harmony with nature and wildlife.

Sustainable Irish Farming and Wildlife Conservation in Action - Seánie’s land is part of several protected nature areas, including Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the endangered Corncrake bird. Rather than resist these designations, he embraced them. As a proud participant in the Corncrake LIFE project, Seánie has set aside land specifically to create habitat for this rare species. He recalls a time when “you couldn’t sleep at night for the call of the Corncrake on Tory Island,” and believes we should “let nature take its own journey.”

A Leader in Irish Upland and Family Farming - Seánie campaigned to have upland land management included in the Green Cert, after seeing how undergrazing led to land mismanagement and increased wildfire risk. He was also a founding member of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) and continues to represent family farms in Ireland who are balancing tradition with environmental stewardship.

Seánie believes Irish farming has a key role to play in protecting nature. “There’s a middle ground between farming and nature,” he says. “Unless farmers are doing that work, it’s not going to work in the long-term. But it can all be positive.”

Driving Innovation in Irish Agri-Environmental Projects - Seánie is known nationally for his role in pioneering agri-environmental schemes that support biodiversity. He was one of the first farmers to trial virtual fencing and GPS collars to manage precision grazing on Tory Island – reintroducing cattle there for the first time in 25 years. This innovative approach has supported habitat regeneration and coastal grazing in a controlled, eco-friendly way.

He also played a major role in designing and promoting the Results-Based Agri-Environmental Payment Scheme (RBAPS) under the Corncrake LIFE project, which has led to a 35% rise in Corncrake populations in just five years. His leadership gave confidence to many other Irish farmers to participate in wildlife-friendly farming.

A Voice for Irish Nature and Rural Communities - Described by conservation leaders as an “honest broker,” Seánie has helped bridge the gap between policymakers and rural communities in Donegal. Through farm visits, local radio, television, and hands-on collaboration, he continues to inspire other Irish family farms to embrace sustainability and biodiversity as part of their future.

Even his land tells a story, an old railway line that runs through the farm has become a greenway, symbolising the vital connections he fosters between people, the land, and the natural heritage of Ireland.

Nominator 1: Dr. Barry O’Donoghue, Assistant Principal, National Parks & Wildlife Service
Nomination:
Bhuail mé le Seánie den chéad uair in 2016 ag cruinniú i Machaire Rabhartaigh, cruinniú ar iarradh orm freastal air chun droichid a thógáil idir NPWS agus an pobal áitiúil. Bhí go leor teannais san chruinniú, agus ba léir go raibh imní agus faitíos ar an bpobail áitiúil maidir le hainmniúchán a gcuid tailte ag an NPWS mar Limistéir faoi Chosaint Speisialta don Traonach. Bhí fearg orthu freisin. Thar sraith cruinnithe, tháinig caidreamh maith eadrainn agus diaidh ar ndiaidh, bhí dul chun cinn déanta againn, le chéile. Rinneadh obair cheannródaíoch chun dul i dteagmháil leis an bpobal áitiúil agus réitigh a aithint. Ceann de na céimeanna praiticiúla a tháinig ón obair sin, ná an t-iarratas a rinneamar ar chlár LIFE ar son an Traonaigh agus na pobail aitúila ar chósta an iarthair. Ón gcéad chruinniú agus ar feadh an slí ar fad, na céimeanna tosaigh don tionscadal LIFE san áireamh, bhí Séanie i láthair ag cabhrú. Is rud fíor thábhachtach é macántacht i gcaomhnú an dúlra agus bhí Séanie mar eiseamláir de bhróicéir macánta. Anois, tá go leor feirmeoirí in ann ‘feirmeoireacht ar son an dúlra’ agus luach saothair agus tacaíocht a fháil chuige sin. Tá na torthaí le feiceáil le Traonach LIFE, agus mar sin freisin, leis an gcaidreamh atá idir NPWS agus ag an pobal anois. Bhí Séanie lárnach ina leith seo agus bheadh sé ina ambasadóir FFN iontach, ag díriú ar ghné a thuigtear ach b’fhéidir nach bhfuil solas curtha air go fóill; an pholaitíocht a bhaineann le caomhnú an dúlra, caidrimh a bhainistiú, fís a fhíorú don phobal, agus mar sin de. Tá Séanie dírithe go mór ar an bpobal agus tá baint aige ag leibhéil éagsúla le tionscnaimh éagsúla, go háirithe an caid! Trí thalamh Séanie, ritheann sean iarnród, atá ag feidhmiú mar bhealach glas le 8 mbliana anuas; siombalach b'fhéidir ar na naisc a éascaíonn Séanie. Ina theannta sin, tugann Séanie aire do gnáthóga éagsúla lena ba agus a chaoirigh agus bhí sé ar cheann de na chéad fheirmeoirí a rinne triail ar 'virtual fencing', mar chuid de thionscadal píolótach a bhí ar siúl againn idir 2020 agus 2022.

I first met Séanie in 2016 at a meeting in Machaire Rabhartaigh, which I had been asked to attend in order to build bridges between NPWS and the local community. The meeting was heated, and the concerns and fears of the local community surrounding the designation of their lands by NPWS as Special Protection Areas designations for Corncrake were clear. Over a series of meetings, we identified a way forward, together. A seminal piece of work was done in engaging with the local community and identifying historical, current and future contexts, visions and solutions. One of the practical steps emerging from that work, was our designing of an application for a LIFE programme across the Corncrake SPA network on the western seaboard. From the very first meeting and all the way throughout, and into the formative steps of the Corncrake/Traonach LIFE programme, Séanie was a constant presence, a sounding board and a trustworthy, dependable voice of reason. Honesty counts for so much in nature conservation and Séanie is the epitome of an honest broker. In doing so, Séanie has opened up the opportunity for many farmers to ‘farm for nature’ and to be rewarded and supported in doing so. The fruits of this can be seen in the results of the Corncrake/Traonach LIFE programme, and so too, the relationships and community buy-in that now exists. Séanie has been central to this and would be a marvellous FFN ambassador, focussing on an element that is understood but perhaps has yet to have a light shone on it; the politics of nature conservation, managing relationships, realising a vision for one’s community, and so on. Séanie is very much community oriented and is involved at various levels in various initiatives, perhaps most proudly with his beloved Gaelic football. Through Séanie’s land, runs a section of old railway, which has been operating as a green way for the past 8 years; symbolic perhaps of connections that Séanie facilitates. As well as this, Séanie manages grasslands and uplands with his Galloways and sheep and was one of the first farmers to trial virtual grazing under the NPWS precision livestock grazing pilot, which ran between 2020 and 2022.

Nominator 2: Dr. John Carey, Manager, Corncrake/Traonach LIFE
Nomination:
Seanie Boyle (Seánie O Baoill) is a sheep and cattle farmer based near an Fál Carrach in the Donegal Gaeltacht where he lives with his wife Gránnie and three children. Seanie manages a herd of sheep and Galloway cattle and his farm holding is largely designated for nature conservation within several important SACs and SPAs including Muckish Mountain SAC, Tory Island SPA and Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA. The family farm is ecologically very diverse and includes typical upland peatland, woodlands, rivers and species rich coastal meadows; including lands on Tory Island. As one of the first farmers to enter the Corncrake LIFE pilot project and to take action towards the creation of new habitat for one of Europe’s most threatened bird species, Seanie epitomizes the farmer seeking to work with nature. He is wealth of information on local farming and has a significant and compressive grasp on agri-environemntal schemes and policy. Seanie has worked tirelessly and unassumingly to democratise farming schemes and new programmes for communities in the Donegal Gaeltacht and encourage uptake and participation in nature conservation while always remaining willing to challenge ambitions.

An exemplar of a farmer who has embraced the route of farming with nature instead of against it, Seanie has been instrumental in building support for a wide range of conservation projects in west Donegal (and beyond) from his involvement in Corncrake LIFE, LIFE on Machair, Wild Atlantic Nature and his input into several EIPs and other local initiatives. We sometimes wonder if there is more than one Seanie Boyle such is his influence and energy!

Seanie played a key role in the establishment of the pilot results-based agri-environemntal payment scheme (RBaPS) developed by Corncrake LIFE. His input into the RBaPS structure and support for the initiative gave many local farmers the confidence to undertake action for these rare birds; which has seen their population increase by more than 35% in five years. As an innovator and problem solver, he was also instrumental in NPWS-led conservation grazing trails using GPS collars which him reintroduce cattle to Tory Island for the first time in 25 years and their subsequent use by LIFE ON Machair for costal grazing.

While many sit back and wait, Seanie Boyle is incredibly willing to engage with conservation to find practical and innovative solutions to meet the needs of farmers and nature. He achieves this through both his national work with the INHFA but also his local influence within his community and the wider Gaeltacht via radio, TV and farm visits. His solidarity with his community and readiness to explore solutions has truly set him apart. He has encouraged a huge number of farmers and local communities to work with nature for the benefit of their farms and their future. He is a voice for the Gaeltacht farmer, the high-nature value farmer and a voice for nature herself. We are delighted to nominate Seanie as a representative of the values, attitude and integrity that make farming for nature farmers so special.