Ailbhe with some of her mixed-breed organic sheep on the banks of Lough Derg Her interest in biodiverse farming led her to ask a local beekeeper if he would be interested in putting some of his hives on her land. “He said yes and moved some on to my farm. I watched him caring for the bees and dealing with them and I became extremely interested. I wanted to give it a go myself,” she says. Ailbhe joined the Beekeepers’ Association of Ireland and did training in beekeeping before introducing her own hives of native black bees to the farm. The course provided her with a mentor, which she says has been extremely beneficial.