Frequently asked questions
What is raw milk?
At Templeroe Dairy we adhere to strict hygine standards and submit to regular pathogen testing to provide milk straight from our small herd of lovely cows. The milk we produce has not been heat treated or pasteurised which means that it is "raw" and still contains bacteria that are killed off in the pasteurisation process.
We are Department of Agriculture and organic certified and regularly test the milk for pathogens. We are committed to high levels of hygiene and only bottle and sell milk that we drink ourselves.
People have found raw milk to be easier to digest and it's often associated with improving gut health. A number of high-end restaurants and customers also find it makes excellent yoghurt, cheese and ice cream! We strongly advise you do more research about the health benefits some people have found from drinking raw milk.
Why choose organic?
The world is facing a biodiversity and climate crisis. Farmers, Hannah and Sean, believe that organic farming without chemicals or pesticides is the first step in helping to heal nature. However, the pair keep pushing to ensure that they don't just uphold organic principles but excel at them.
What can I use raw organic milk in?
Raw organic milk is delicious in tea, porridge and desserts! Basically the list is endless. It can also be used to make delicious coffee. As you can see below the head chef in Adare Manor thinks it's great (as do we) but we will let you be the ultimate taste tasters!
Customers have also told us that it is great for making kefir, yoghurt and brilliant in protein shakes.
What do you mean by 'farming for nature'?
Farming these days is often associated with the destruction of the environment but farmers Hannah and Sean, want to show that both farming and nature can work together in harmony.
Between the farms, there are three wildlife ponds, 1,000 oak trees, over 10 km of hedging, two hectares of wild bird cover, ten hectares of wetland reserved for birds and wildlife, five native Irish beehives, two Barn Owl boxes, two Kestrel boxes, two Swift boxes and one Otter Holt. They also have lots of future plans and every year come up with new ways to support the local ecology. They actively want to take on the fight against nature and biodiversity loss and make sure that the farms are part of the solution to the current crisis facing our climate and natural world.
When can I collect delicious organic raw milk from the farm?
You can collect milk your order directly from the farm and see where it comes from for yourself! All the milk will be keeping chilled and waiting for you in a fridge in our dairy.
Orders before 12pm on any weekday will be ready the next day for collection.
Weekend orders need to be in by 12pm that Friday.
Our address is:
Templeroe Organic Dairy, Fanningstown, Co Limerick. V94 DD3A
Can I order delicious raw milk to be delivered?
Yes! We bulk sell 12 litres of milk and to ensure freshness we courier milk nationwide once a week on a Tuesday.
Do you supply restaurants and shops?
Yes! We supply a number of high-end restaurants, including the both the award winning Oak Room in the Adare Manor and 1826. We also supply the Urban Co-op and a number of other shops. If you would like to enquire about retail availability please email templeroedairy@gmail.com
The farmers
Templeroe Dairy is run by neighbours and commited organic farmers Sean Condon and Hannah Quinn-Mulligan.
It is situated in the lush Limerick countryside and their journey began when Hannah approached long-standing organic dairy farmer Sean to learn how to milk cows, with the aim of converting her suckler farm to organic dairy. Initially sceptical of her commitment levels, Sean agreed to take Hannah on and the pair quickly realised they shared a zeal for regenerative agriculture, good food and farming for nature.
The average dairy herd in Ireland is 97 cows, and combined Sean and Hannah have enough land to milk over 200 cows - but they don't want to. They're stubbornly committed to bucking the trend and milk just 55 cows on a once-a-day system that is gentler and more relaxed for the ladies in the herd.
They also keep ten pedigree Hereford beef cattle, a traditional breed, that tie in with the Holistic grazing management on the farm and periodically throughout the year they sell organic beef boxes alongside their organic milk.
Meet some of the team!
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Penelope
Penelope is one of team of dairy cows. She is 10 years old - which is quite old for a dairy cow - and was born on Sean's farm. She is a big fan of chicory (the blue plant in the pic) and loves grazing in the farm's multi-species swards.
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Mrs Murphy
Mrs Murphy is one of the 10 pedigree Hereford cows living on Hannah's farm. She is a big lady who loves her food but unlike her sisters on the farm does not enjoy scratches. She has lots of milk for a beef cow and has only ever produced bull calves but Hannah REALLY wants her to have a heifer to keep breeding from her line.
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Ophelia
Ophelia is a Freisian and Norwegian Red cross dairy cow and a massive poser. Unlike her Shakespearean namesake she thankfully has few boy problems. Her main mission every morning is to grab a mouthful of wildflowers and even the occasional nettle from the abundant hedgerows on her way up for milking every morning.
Farming for nature
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Native Irish Black Bees
In 2021, Hannah noticed that there were very few bees on her farm and a lower than normal apple harvest. She was worred that not enough was being done to support Ireland's native bee population and got her first hive - she now has three and can identify the pollen from wildflowers in the meadows where they graze cattle.
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Holistic Grazing
Templeroe practices Holistic or Mob grazing which is a technique where wildflowers and grasses are given time to blossom and bloom. This allows pollinators and insects the chance to feed on them and helps to create layers of carbon as cattle trample the grasses into the earth. Cattle are regularly moved to prevent permanent damage to the fields.
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Otter holt
Both Sean and Hannah are fascinated by wildlife and are keen to create sanctuary areas on their farm. The pair have built ponds, erected bird boxes, planted native hedgerows and let meadows flourish. This year, they've also built an otter holt! Hannah read a report from 1994 citing that otters were in the area but neither Sean or Hannah had ever seen any on the farms. Fingers crossed that will change this year!
