Meet the Cheesemaker: Ballyhubbock Farm

Ballyhubbock Farm sits in the Glen-of-Imaal, a quiet valley folded into the western Wicklow Mountains, and on a Saturday morning in late June it opens its gates to let you see where some of Ireland’s most distinctive sheep’s milk products actually come from. George Finlay and Hannah Sheerin - a farmer and a food scientist - started their dairy flock in 2017 and have since built a small but serious operation producing ewelloumi (their take on halloumi, made with Irish sheep’s milk), ricotta, and sheep milk ice cream. George has been nominated for Sheep Farmer of the Year, and their halloumi has taken a Blas na hÉireann Gold Award. This two-hour visit is a chance to meet the people, the sheep, and the food in the same place.

What to expect

The morning runs from 11am to 1pm and is part of the Centre of Food Culture Ireland’s Meet the Maker series, supported by Sheridans Cheesemongers. You’ll hear George and Hanna tell the farm’s story - a third-generation family holding that they’ve quietly transformed into something genuinely new for Ireland. Sheep’s milk ice cream was a first-to-market product here, and the ewelloumi follows the same logic: familiar in form, but made entirely from their own flock’s milk, which is naturally creamier and sweeter than cow’s milk and suits people with an intolerance to cow’s dairy. Expect a taste of their products alongside a walkthrough of how they work - the milking flock, the small-batch production methods, and the thinking behind what they’ve built. It’s a genuine farm, not a visitor attraction, so you’ll be standing on working ground.

Getting there

Baltinglass is on the N81, roughly 65km south-west of Dublin - about an hour’s drive. From Dublin, take the N81 through Blessington and Tullow direction; from Carlow, head north on the N81. The postcode for sat-nav is W91 XP77. The Glen-of-Imaal itself is a few kilometres west of Baltinglass town, so give yourself a little extra time on the approach roads. There is no direct public transport to the Glen-of-Imaal; this visit is effectively car-dependent. Parking at a working farm is typically in a yard or field.

While you’re in Baltinglass

Baltinglass has the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey on the banks of the River Slaney, worth a short stop before or after the farm visit. There is more to see in Baltinglass and across Co. Wicklow.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday, 27 June 2026
• Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm (2 hours)
• Price: check Eventbrite for current ticket price (not free)
• Book via Eventbrite - capacity is limited and listed as going fast
• No refunds policy applies
• The farm is in the Glen-of-Imaal - use postcode W91 XP77 for sat-nav