Summerville Wagyu features in Irish Independent Article - Farming Independent - 25th August 2026
From architecture to Wagyu: Meet the Clare farmer taking beef sales into his own hands
Working between architecture and farming, Patrick O’Doherty has built a Wagyu herd and online beef business, selling directly to customers and restaurants nationwide. Summerville Wagyu Irish Independent Article - Farming Independent
Monday to Friday, Patrick O’Doherty works as an architect in Dublin. On weekends, he returns to Lahinch to work alongside his father Gerard on the family farm and their growing online Wagyu beef business. The idea of producing Wagyu had been in O’Doherty’s mind for years, going back to a holiday in Australia when he was 16 and tasted Wagyu beef for the first time. “I had a ribeye and I noticed a huge difference in it. It was something I’ve been thinking about since,” he says. The experience stayed with him and in 2019, O’Doherty began to move away from the traditional Angus and Kerry cattle on the farm and into Wagyu.
“We’re operating an online butcher shop, essentially. Once we have a pre-order from anyone, we can take whatever cuts people want,” O’Doherty says.
Once cattle are ready for slaughter, the process is outsourced to a small abattoir near Gort in Galway. The animals are slaughtered, hung for 21 days, cut, vacuum packed and labelled before the meat returns to the farm. The beef is sold throughout Ireland, with some orders also going to Europe.
“For me personally, it’s more satisfying, knowing where your beef is going and what it tastes like.” “We’re always trying to improve and so we’re looking to keep improving on our genetics and the ways we’re rearing the animals... Ultimately, it’s about creating the best tasting beef that we can.”
Summerville Wagyu features in Irish Independent Article - 25th August 2026 - Farming Independent
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