Teagasc Kildalton College students thriving on overseas placements with the help of Waterford FRS
Established to acknowledge the late John Fitzgerald’s dedication to farm placements and the development of young people in agriculture, College Teacher and Practical Learning Period Officer, Declan Byrne writes on how the John Fitzgerald Memorial Travel Bursary is enabling Teagasc Kildalton students to broaden their horizons and skillsets through overseas placements.
Each year, all students enrolled in second year, full-time Advanced Level 6 Certificate (Green Cert) courses at Kildalton College, specialising in either Dairy, Drystock or Crops and Machinery Management, complete a 16-week work practice module.
An integral part of their course work, students compete 35 hours per week on a host farm to develop their practical skillset and prepare them for managing their own farm in the long term.
While the majority of students will complete this placement period on farms in Ireland, students do have the option to travel to New Zealand, the USA, the UK and Germany to experience differing systems and scale of farming while also broadening their horizons.
Up to 20% of students choose this option for placement annually and a newly formed bursary supported by Waterford Farm Relief Services (FRS) is greatly assisting students to offset the costs of overseas placement.
The late John Fitzgerald of Ross, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford, who passed away in April 2021, was a prominent dairy farmer who served on the Board of Management of Co. Waterford Farm Relief Services for many years and held the position of Secretary/Treasurer up to the time of his passing. John was instrumental in the growth and development of Waterford FRS, and was held in high esteem both by the Board of Management and by the Management of Co. Waterford FRS LTD.
John Fitzgerald
John was also a great leader amongst the wider farming community in Waterford, where he held the position of Waterford IFA Chairman and also completed a term as Vice Chairman of Glanbia PLC.
Inside his own farmgate, for many years, John Fitzgerald was a valued host farmer of numerous Kildalton College dairy students on his dairy farm in Co. Waterford, where John passed on his knowledge of farming and dairy husbandry skills with great patience to many up-and-coming dairy farmers and farm managers in the Waterford area.
To honour John’s valued contribution, time and commitment to Co. Waterford FRS Ltd, the John Fitzgerald Memorial Travel Bursary was set up in June 2022 by Waterford FRS in conjunction with Teagasc Kildalton College. This bursary acknowledges John’s dedication to farm placements and the development of young people in agriculture.
This bursary awards four students with a €1,000 per student annual contribution to offset the significant travel costs associated with overseas placements. Teagasc Kildalton College is delighted to be associated with this award and values the opportunity it presents to students that may not be able to travel due to the high initial financial outlay required to complete placement overseas.
2026 award winners are pictured receiving their awards from Micheal Keane, Chairman Waterford FRS:
- John Lyndon, Gorey, Co. Wexford (travelling to New Zealand)
- Jackie Prendergast, Coon, Co. Kilkenny (travelling to New Zealand)
- Michael Beresford, Ballinamult, Co. Waterford (travelling to USA)
- Sarah Blake, Stratford on Slaney, Co. Wicklow (travelling to Scotland)
Photo caption: Pictured from left to right at the presentation of bursaries are: James Ryan, Vice Principal Kildalton College; Ger Malone, General Manager Waterford FRS; Recipient, John Lyndon, Gorey, Co. Wexford, travelling to New Zealand; recipient Micheal Beresford, Ballinamult, Co. Waterford, travelling to the USA; Michael Keane, Chairman Waterford FRS; recipient Jackie Prendergast, Coon, Co. Kilkenny, traveling to New Zealand; recipient Sarah Blake, Stratford on Slaney, Co. Wicklow, travelling to Scotland; and Declan Byrne, Placement Officer, Kildalton College.