Michael Kelly Returns to TV in New 6-Part Series “Our Farm – A GIY Story”
Mick Kelly, founder of GIY (Grow It Yourself), returns to Irish television this March with a powerful new six-part documentary series, Our Farm – A GIY Story, airing weekly from March 3rd for six weeks on RTÉ 1.
For over a decade, GIY has helped people reconnect with where their food comes from, empowering tens of thousands across Ireland and beyond to grow some of their own food, understand the food system, and make more sustainable choices. What began as a grassroots movement has grown into a national organisation delivering education programmes, community initiatives, food literacy campaigns and practical supports for households, schools and communities.
At the heart of GIY is a simple belief: that even small acts of growing food can lead to big changes — for personal wellbeing, for communities and for the planet. GIY’s work has always focused on making food growing accessible, realistic and relevant to modern life, whether that’s on a windowsill, a balcony, a schoolyard or a community plot.
Now, Mick and his team take on their most ambitious challenge yet: proving that a community-based, regenerative local food system can work at scale in Ireland today — not just as a passion project, but as a viable, resilient and economically sustainable model for the future of food.
With GIY HQ in Waterford having outgrown its land, the team secured an extraordinary new site — a vast, derelict, overgrown walled garden on the historic Curraghmore Estate, just outside Waterford City. What follows is an emotional, high-stakes journey to transform this forgotten space into a working farm capable of feeding a community, supporting livelihoods and reshaping how local food is produced, distributed and sold.
The rationale behind the series is both urgent and hopeful. Ireland, like much of the world, faces mounting challenges around diet related ill health, food security, climate change, biodiversity loss, rising food costs and declining trust in industrial food systems. Our Farm – A GIY Story sets out to explore whether a different model is possible — one rooted in transparency, regeneration, seasonality and community connection — and what it really takes to build that model in the real world.
Rather than presenting a glossy, idealised version of farming, the series offers an honest, unfiltered look at the pressures, contradictions and complexities of modern food production. Viewers see the emotional toll, the financial risks, the operational realities and the constant tension between values and viability. At the same time, the series celebrates the human stories, the small victories and the deep sense of purpose that comes from working the land and feeding people well.
Mick Kelly says, “Creating this smallfarm was important because we wanted to prove that local food systems can genuinely work — not just in theory, but in the real world. But it was just as important to bring it to air. We want people to see what goes on behind the scenes with a small farm trying to bring local, seasonal, whole foods grown in living soil to customers, and to see the real power and influence they have with their food choices.
“We also want to show that eating seasonally isn’t about sacrifice — it can actually be more affordable, healthier and more satisfying than people expect. This series is about giving people the confidence to make small, but powerful changes to their food choices.”.”
Across six episodes, viewers follow the team as they battle weather, pests, funding setbacks, staffing pressures, animal welfare challenges, market realities and the brutal economics of farming — all while trying to stay true to GIY’s values of transparency, sustainability and community.
Episode Overview
Episode 1 – “Where It All Begins”
The team discover the neglected walled garden at Curraghmore and begin the daunting task of restoration. As crops are planted and animals arrive, early optimism collides with real-world pressures — including a national avian flu housing order that immediately tests the project’s resilience and values.
Episode 2 – “Big Ideas, Bigger Pressure”
With veg box numbers low and pressure mounting, Mick proposes a bold move: building a GIY show garden at Bloom, Ireland’s largest horticulture festival. As the team stretch themselves even thinner, they face hard truths about capacity, communication and customer expectations.
Episode 3 – “People, Pressure and Proof”
The focus turns to the people behind the farm. As extreme weather, infrastructure challenges and public scrutiny collide, scientific soil testing begins — offering the possibility of proof that the land itself can support GIY’s long-term ambition.
Episode 4 – “The Breaking Point”
As crops near harvest, customer numbers fall and finances tighten. A fundamental tension emerges between growing food and selling it. Surplus threatens to become waste, forcing the team into urgent negotiations with chefs, retailers and buyers — just as major funding support unexpectedly ends.
Episode 5 – “Holding the Line”
With funding pressure and staffing gaps, the team fight to stabilise operations. Veg boxes finally fill with farm-grown produce, but waste, system strain and uncertainty persist. Slowly, sales begin to rise, waste slows and the farm edges closer to covering its costs.
Episode 6 – “The Long View”
With crops flowing and systems holding, the team lift their eyes beyond survival. Soil DNA results confirm the land is biologically rich and exceptional. Plans emerge for orchards, restored buildings and long-term sustainability — culminating in a major gala dinner where the team must deliver food grown almost entirely on the farm, at scale.
Our Farm – A GIY Story is an honest, hopeful and deeply human portrait of modern farming, community resilience and the fight to build a better food system — one season, one crop and one decision at a time.
The series airs weekly on RTÉ 1 from March 3rd for six weeks.
ENDS
For media enquiries, interviews or preview material, please contact: Ann Power, Powerhouse PR Ltd. 086 3065588 – Email ann@powerhousepr.ie