Brian Dilleen

Mad Yolk Farm: Pasture-Raised Eggs, Community Roots, and Regenerative Farming in Galway

Location: Craughwell, Co. Galway
Farm Size: 11 ha
Farm Enterprise: Poultry (Layers) and Market Garden, Community Events Space

Just three years ago, Brian Dilleen purchased a 11-hectare farm in East Galway and transformed it into Mad Yolk Farm. This is a vibrant, regenerative, and community-rooted farming hub. As a first-generation farmer, Brian trialled his system on rented land near Galway city before making the bold move to establish a permanent, diversified enterprise grounded in soil health, biodiversity, and human connection.

Eggs and Ecology: A Pasture-Raised Poultry System
Mad Yolk Farm is home to 2,000 free-range hens, rotated regularly through 5 hectares of pasture using six mobile hen houses, including one German-engineered model that houses 430 birds. The hens are a hardy Highline breed, chosen for their temperament and productivity, and have year-round indoor access and outdoor space for scratching.

Their rotational movement every two days has revitalized the pasture, improved soil structure, and contributes to producing what customers call “the best eggs in Galway.” The eggs are sold through a thriving on-site farm shop and direct wholesale to over 30 local businesses. All eggs are certified free-range, produced without chemical inputs.

No-Dig Market Garden and Closed-Loop Composting
Alongside the poultry enterprise is a ½-acre no-dig market garden supported by three commercial polytunnels and an outdoor area, producing 17–20 crops during summer, with cherry tomatoes among the most profitable. All vegetables are sold through the farm shop to maintain viable margins. The garden is managed by one full-time grower and two interns. In 2024, Mad Yolk Farm closed the nutrient loop with a new 3-bay compost system, blending chicken manure, wood shavings, food scraps, and cardboard to create fertile, living soil.

As Brian says “You don’t plant in a weakling plant. A strong, upright seedling in healthy soil doesn’t get attacked.”

Community and Creativity at the Heart
Community is the farm’s foundation. Old buildings have been renovated to serve multiple purposes such as an egg packery, Community farm shop, Public sauna Event and gathering space. Mad Yolk Farm hosts regular events in the community space, including shared meals and workshops. There are also plans for a weekend retreat experience on-site to help people reconnect with food, land, and each other.

Brian emphasizes, “I never wanted to farm on my own.” The farm now employs a full-time poultry caretaker, a full-time grower, 2 garden interns, a part-time delivery driver and a shop/community manager.

Biodiversity and Agroforestry in Action
In just three years, Brian has restored significant hedgerow networks and planted over 9,000 native trees to build climate resilience and wildlife corridors around the 33-acre holding. These include oak, alder, birch, fruit, and nut trees.

A large-scale agroforestry plan is in motion across 10.5 hectares, with 400 trees due to be planted to the hectare. 15% of these will be fruit and nut species. Wide alleys between trees will be given to allow the chickent tractors to move easily. A further 0.5 ha native woodland is planned for around the shop. A pond is planned to further support water management and biodiversity.

Inspired by the belief that a farm can be a centre of wellbeing, nourishment, and social connection, Brian continues to experiment with what works for his land, team, and community.

From pasture-raised eggs to native tree corridors, no-dig veg beds to compost bays, Mad Yolk Farm is a dynamic model for low-input, high-output, community-supported regenerative agriculture.

Nominator: Ailbhe Gerrard, Farming for Nature Ambassador
Nomination: Mad Yolk Farm are a diverse and hardworking group of people in East Galway. Brian Dilleen is the main man - he focuses on healthy poultry, nutrient rich food and a better community. They believe in community, increasing biodiversity, and using methods to build soil and protect our ecosystems. They aim to provide local food and produce the best pasture raised eggs from hens who are free to roam eggs & grow the best veg they possibly can.

They've planted approximately 9,000 trees (whips) in the last 3 seasons all along the boundary/ perimeter of their 33-acre farm to create wildlife corridors, build diversity & climate resilience on the farm. They operate 6 mobile hen houses throughout 15 acres of the farm, enabling up to 2,000 hens rotation graze throughout the pasture. We operate a 1/2 acre no dig market garden. Which allows us to grow chemical free vegetables without any soil disturbance. This year they plan on closing the loop on their reliance on compost by creating their own compost in their newly built compost making bays using chicken manure , woodshaving bedding & vegetables scraps & cardboard as their main ingredients