Rush farmer to appear in TV series

A NORTHSIDE farmer is to feature in the third episode of ‘Rare Breed’ on UTV Ireland next week.

Matthew Foley, a tomato farmer from Rush, will appear on the highly successful fly-on-the-wall rural series on Monday, January 25 at 8pm.

‘Rare Breed’ will be catching up with Matthew as he is checking how his tomatoes are progressing ahead of the harvest season. He is also releasing some new wasps throughout the Kilbush Nurseries to keep pests under control.

All of Matthew’s tomatoes are grown indoors within seven acres of glasshouses, with the majority of his produce being sold to the supermarkets Tesco and Marks and Spencer.

Kilbush Nurseries is one of the oldest tomato growing businesses in the country. Matthew’s father built the first glasshouses on the property in the 1930s. 

‘Rare Breed’ provides an in-depth look into the successes and struggles of farming life in Ireland, throughout a calendar year. A total of 18 farming families from across the country are taking part in the series, which gives a unique insight into all aspects of farming life and the people who work our land – from beef, dairy, sheep, pig and poultry farms, to tomato and organic vegetable producers.

UTV Ireland’s Head of Channel, Mary Curtis, said: “‘Rare Breed’s debut on UTV Ireland earlier this year was a great success. The 12-part series reached over 1.2 million people and the highest rating episode received 230,000 average viewers.

“The series is unique in that it gives viewers an access-all-areas pass to the people behind one of Ireland’s biggest industries – on farms both big and small. 

“Globally, Ireland is seen as a leader in high-quality agri-food