The village of Mooncoin in South Kilkenny might be known for the rose, but in the townland of Kilcraggan it is the daffodil that reigns supreme.
In the haggard field at the front of O’Halloran’s farmhouse, the family decided to use this piece of land unconventionally.
In 1968 James O’Halloran made a trip to Waterford City where he surprised even the shop owners with his purchase.
“I went into Harper’s on The Quay and I bought 300 weight of bulbs. They cost me a penny-ha’penny each and it came to £30,” he says.
“I set them out and over the years replanted them until I got the whole haggard field outside filled with daffodils.
“I remember at the time they said they had never sold that many bulbs to anyone else,” James laughs.
It is hard to tell at the moment how many daffodils are in the field at the moment, but James reckons at one stage there were 12,000.
“One year I sold £700 worth of flowers which was an awful lot of money at that time. Who used to buy them off me was Delaney’s Florist on O’Connell Street in Waterford - he was my customer.”
As the daffodil industry grew, he decided to stop selling the spring flowers.
“Next thing years later they started growing them in tunnels and I didn’t have them early enough for the florist shops so I packed up my daffodils and never sold another flower,” he says.
James’ decision means neighbours and friends come to the field in the springtime to pick a bunch for free. James built on the idea that his mother Dee O’Halloran came up with. She had a grá for nature and spent many years working in Johnny Hearne’s hardware shop in Carrick-on-Suir.
“It’s my mother who was the first person to plant the flowers in the field but I increased them and introduced the different varieties.
“She had apple trees and trees out there too and had one outside with seven or eight different kinds of apples on it,” he says.
Standing in the farmyard which is immaculately kept, James pointed towards the front of the house - which he reckons was built in the 1600s. There are remnants of a time gone by around the yard with old thrashing machinery painted and two pots near the doorway which he claims are there for over 50 years.
Next week James will turn 89, but this week he has a few other things to do. Neighbour John Smith was collecting him for his second dose of the Covid vaccine this week.
“Whether that’s going to do me any good or not I don’t know… But sure look the last one didn’t do me any harm anyway,” he chuckles.
This Daffodil Day, Friday March 26th in partnership with Boots is the most important one yet. For the second year in a row, the Irish Cancer Society can’t be on the streets but they need your help more than ever.
Support Daffodil Day and help The Irish Cancer Society to continue to provide crucial services to adults and children with cancer and their families, by donating or visiting the Daffodil Day shop at cancer.ie
