Meet the Beekeeper: The Farmhouse Bees & Trees, Sat, 29 August 2026, 2pm-4pm

Meet the Beekeeper: The Farmhouse Bees & Trees

Join the Centre of Food Culture Ireland for a very special opportunity to meet Pat and Fiona McCormack, beekeepers from Abbeyshrule, County Longford. Alongside their two children, they maintain native Irish honey bees (Apis melifera melifera) near the River Inny and Royal Canal, with four apiaries within a 20km radius of Abbeyshrule. Their hives are placed at The Farmhouse and other areas abundant with diverse flora including bramble, blackthorn, willow, gorse, dandelion, clover, lime, and willowherb, far from intensive farming. In 2022, The Native Irish Honey Bee Society declared The Farmhouse a conservation area for the native Irish honeybee.

Both Pat and Fiona have a background in horticulture, with Fiona having studied at Warrenstown College and Pat at An Grianan where he also took a beekeeping course. After talking about their dream to keep bees for years, they finally started in 2019 with a hive from Fiona’s aunt who was retiring after many years of beekeeping. The bees and beekeeping tradition have been in their family for generations, passed down from Fiona’s uncle to her aunt and now to them. In 2022, The Farmhouse was a finalist in the Irish Food Awards, showcasing their dedication to beekeeping and producing high-quality products.

This very special event will involve a brief talk explaining the story of The Farmhouse over tea and coffees. The group will then get into beesuits for a farm walk down to the apiary to meet the bees and to see how the hive works. Then it will be back up to the Honey House for a tour of the honey extraction room, and most importantly – to taste the honey!

Please note, the exact meeting location will be provided to attendees in advance of the event. Attendees are advised to wear boots, not runners/sandals, so that ankles are covered when visiting the hives.

This Meet the Beekeeper event is part of our Meet the Maker series, proudly supported by Sheridans Cheesemongers.

Event Date: Sat, 29 August,2026

Event Time: 2pm-4pm