This Irish sheep farmer has a good chance of getting lucky in love at this year's Matchmaking Festival in Ireland
Following hot on the heels of the Calendar Girls and the New York Firefighters, Ireland’s farmers have manned up, taken off their tops, and posed for the Irish Farmer Calendar 2014, which supports the Irish charity Bóthar.
The 2014 calendar, now in its fifth year, features hunks of agricultural charm from Westmeath, Tipperary, Wexford, Armagh, Roscommon, and Kilkenny. Resplendent with their farmers’ tans, they appear in their full (or at least topless) glory along with a goat, a hen, a piglet, lambs, ducks, a rabbit and a turkey, with all photos shot on location in Brooke House, outside Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.
Calendar creator Ciara Ryan says that interest in the calendar this year is far exceeding previous years and the feedback has been tremendous. A big surprise was with the first order for calendars coming from Brooklyn, New York.
From October, the glossy calender can also be found in Easons, the Calendar Club and Reads of Nassau street in Dublin and in over 40 outlets throughout Ireland. It is also available from www.farmercalendar.com for $13.25 (€10).
Christened “agri porn” by Irish TV presenter Ryan Tubridy, the calendar has received orders from the US, Australia, UK, Germany, Poland and France, Hong Kong, South Africa, with an international audience hungry to see the charms of Ireland’s farms.
Photographer Fran Marshall said, "All the lads were brilliant and managed to keep smiling despite being a bit cold minus their shirts. We also had great assistance with the animals from Gareth and Martin from Nore Valley mobile farm unit."
Check out the famers below.
January, Gareth Alcorn from Kilkenny.
January, Gareth Alcorn (Kilkenny)
February, John Wallace from Tipperary.
March, John Fanning from Wexford and Donagh Heffernan from Tipperary.
April, (l to r) Paddy O'Connor from Wexford, Gareth Alcorn from Kilkenny and
Stephen Hamilton Roscommon.
May, Donagh Heffernan.
May, Donagh Heffernan.
June, (l to r) Jamie Laughlin, son from Antrim and his father Gary Laughlin, John Wallace from Tipperary
June (l to r) Jamie Laughlin, son (Antrim) Gary Laughlin, father (Antrim) John Wallace (Tipperary)
July, John Fanning from Wexford.
July, John Fanning (Wexford)
August, (l to r) Michael Naughton from Roscommon, Donagh Heffernan from Tipperary, Paddy O'Connor from Wexford.
August, (l to r) Michael Naughton (Roscommon) Donagh Heffernan (Tipperary) Paddy O'Connor (Wexford)
September, Colin O'Brien, John Wallace from Tipperary and Dan Kirby from Westmeath.
September, Colin O'Brien, John Wallace (Tipperary) and Dan Kirby (Westmeath)
October, John Fanning from Wexford.
November, Colin O'Brien from Westmeath.
November, Colin O'Brien (Westmeath)
December, Stephen Hamilton from Roscommon.
December, Stephen Hamilton (Roscommon)