Our Story

Castlemine Farm has a long and rich heritage located in the heart of Roscommon.

The Allen family have farmed the land since the 1820’s when Castlemine Farm was in the hands of Walter (Wally) Allen. The farm was passed down through the generations and Sean Allen took over in the 1950’s and has been farming the land ever since.

He was always of the opinion that the grass-fed animals have a sweeter taste, especially in limestone regions such as Roscommon. The farm has now passed to the next generation and is run by his son Derek along with his wife Lisa and their children Sean and Ciara.

Castlemine Farm Today

They say that “necessity is the mother of invention” and that was certainly true when the recession hit and work for Derek as a carpenter quickly dried up. He turned his attention back to the farm, and together with his brother Brendan, who also had a keen interest in farming, they quickly realised that their product was world class. They also recognised that the traditional approach of rearing and selling meat the factory and onto the supermarkets wasn’t working.

Derek and Brendan worked together to take ownership of the entire distribution and retail operation. Derek takes enormous pride in knowing that every single animal raised on the farm is butchered by our skilled team and can be sold knowing it is the best product it can possibly be. In 2008, a shop was started on the family farm. Due to popular demand, the decision was made in 2010 to relocate to a bigger and more convenient premises in nearby Roscommon town.

MEET THE FARMER

Derek Allen

Derek sits in the middle of the three Allen brothers and is the man responsible for producing all of Castlemine Farm’s beef, lamb, pork and bronze turkeys for the Christmas market. Derek has an almost fanatical focus on producing quality. While he favours the traditional farming practices, he isn’t afraid to look to modern methods if they mean a better product. As well as being a farmer, Derek is also a qualified carpenter which came in handy when he and his wife Lisa renovated the Castlemine Farmhouse where they now live with their son Sean and daughter Ciara. Derek does not understand the concept of free time

Castlemine Farm Snapshot

250

LUSH GREEN ACRES OF ROSCOMMON LAND

215

BLACK ANGUS AND HEREFORD CATTLE

40

WELL AND HAPPY FREE RANGE PIGS

300

LLYENN X TEXEL AND CHAROLAIS YEWS

419

Free Range Bronze Turkeys

SUSTAINABILITY
AND TRACEABILITY

All meat is fully traceable, direct from the farm, butchered and packaged by Castlemine Farm.

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FARM TOUR

Tours are arranged by prior arrangement and are free of charge to existing customers.

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