Bravo Breifne!

A young farmer from Cavan is the only Irish agri-journalist to be selected to take part in this year’s International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Alltech Young Leaders awards programme in Croatia.

Breifne O’Brien grew up on a sheep and beef farm just outside Cavan Town.

The son of Mary and Brian O’Brien, Breifne says growing up on his family’s farm in Edenticlare is where his lifelong passion for agriculture began.

Briefne left Killygarry to study Agri-Environmental Science at UCD where he also presented an agri-focused radio show during his student days.

From working on farms as far afield as South Dakota or in beef procurement and reporting on Irish trade mission in China or attending the World Seed Congress in Istanbul in Turkey last year, Breifne has a solid background in agriculture and journalism.

The 30-year-old has won awards for his work in agri-media, most recently winning the Best Feature Story at the 2024 AgriGuild Awards.

Each year, only 10 agricultural writers are selected from across the globe for the prestigious IFAJ Alltech Young Leaders Programme. Cavan’s Breifne O’Brien is the only journalist to be selected from Ireland by an international jury this year.

Sponsored by Alltech, the Young Leaders programme seeks to identify and support the most promising new and recent entrants to the profession, to hone and encourage their potential.

Open to those under 35 years across 61 IFAJ-affiliated national agricultural journalist associations, the 10 Young Leaders will travel to Croatia for this year’s programme.

“It’s a remarkable experience for someone in their 20s or 30s, who’s just beginning to find their career path,” IFAJ secretary general, Adrian Bell said.