A model succession story for 'team Hannon' in Offaly
Hughie and Aoife Hannon milk 150 cows on their 42-hectare farm near Birr, County Offaly, with the help of Hughie’s parents, Eugene and Anne. And if Hughie’s name rings a bell, you might remember him as the coach of the Offaly Under 21 hurlers who won the 2024 All-Ireland.
Back in 2016, Hughie was a full-time hurling coach in schools while Aoife worked in childcare. Eugene was milking fifty cows, while Hughie had fifty sucklers of his own. As marriage loomed, the couple wanted to come home, so they sold the sucklers to finance renting more land - and more than doubled the overall cow numbers on the farm to 120.
The story first appeared in our 2025 Irish Farm Report.
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Aoife, too, wanted to get into farming full-time. With three children arriving in quick succession, it simply made no sense to be going out to work each day solely to pay for childcare. Forming the model that would support two families was not without its problems, but the Hannons were supported tremendously by James Farrell in ifac’s Tullamore office, who helped navigate the tricky waters of succession, land transfer, and eventual establishment of a limited company.
The first step was the creation of a partnership, but in those early days, Hughie and Aoife were not drawing an income from the farm. Despite that, they were keen to invest in the business, and James helped to formalise their partnership arrangement in advance of this expansion, which involved a new 72-cubicle shed state-of-the-art shed, which attracted grant aid.
The senior Hannons are now both in their mid-seventies and kicking back a little, but back in 2016, they needed to know where they stood and that there was a clear path for the future. That clear path included a partnership that allowed expansion, facilitated succession, and generated income. They got independent advice from their own solicitors – a critically important measure – and were also hugely reassured by ifac as to what to expect.
The changing of the guard marked a change in the attitude to financial planning, and Aoife points out that “nothing happens on this farm unless we know there’s a budget to support it. For example, two years ago we put in a new milking parlour, drafter and automatic foot bath and collars. In the past, this would have put a huge strain on the farm’s finances, but we were completely relaxed about it because the funds were already in place.”
Around that time, the two generations of Hannons started discussing land transfer, with ifac once again playing a key role. And the final piece in the puzzle came about with the creation of a limited company owned by Hughie and Aoife. Looking back on their journey over the past eight years, Hughie is quick to point out that succession is not a quick and easy fix – it takes time, and it’s impossible to move it much faster than its own unique pace.
The impact of succession has been huge – on both generations. For the senior Hannons, they no longer have responsibility for the enormous amount of paperwork involved – that’s all taken care of by Aoife. Even better, they receive a pay packet for the first time in their lives!
For Hughie and Aoife, there is the certainty of managing their own farming future with confidence and optimism. “The farm has turned from a lifestyle to a business – and Team Hannon is a winner all round.”