Till the Cows Come Home

One farm. Two worlds. Three generations.

Fuelled by dreams of a rural idyll, Lorna Sixsmith and her husband swap the 9 to 5 for a return to her family's ancestral farm at Garrendenny.

They love the fields and lanes of their corner of Ireland where their black and white herd flourishes, the land where the patterns of their lives echo those of generations of Sixsmiths before them.

But a rural existence isn't a heaven on earth. Bad weather, runaway bulls, temperamental farm machinery and cows that refuse to be milked can test anyone's patience. But not for too long – the fields, the animals and the laughter always win out.

Warm, witty and wise, Lorna Sixsmith effortlessly mixes family memories, social history and her own hard-won insights into life on the land.

Praise for Till the Cows Come Home

'A mesmerising tale of Irish farming ... From top cow Delilah to the stranger at the silage table, the jobs, joys and challenges are skilfully tied together … Lorna Sixsmith is a natural storyteller in the vein of Alice Taylor.' – ANN FITZGERALD, author of A Year on Our Farm and journalist with Farming Independent

'A strong female farming voice and a vivid sense of a rural childhood … Drink in rural life for the first time or get lost in pleasant memories. A must-read memoir.' – SHARON THOMPSON, author of The Abandoned