Northern Irish dairy farmer finds renewed purpose in Farmers’ Choir

After bovine tuberculosis ended his dairy herd, Mervyn Kelso joined a local Farmers’ Choir at his sister’s suggestion. He says the group helped him and his wife through a traumatic period, while the choir’s musical director describes it as a source of friendship and support in rural communities.

Dairy farmer Mervyn Kelso lost his entire herd to bovine tuberculosis, leaving him to cope with empty fields and a silent milking yard. The loss followed several removals of cattle from his farm near Portglenone, County Antrim, and by March 2022 he had no milking or adult stock.

“The department decided to buy the herd out,” Kelso said, describing the final outcome of the process. He said the experience was traumatic, particularly as he had farmed throughout his life and had to watch neighbouring farmers continue working with their cattle. A friend who had been associated with the farm for three generations also died around the time the first cattle were lost.

Kelso’s sister suggested that he join the Farmers’ Choir when it restarted in nearby Ballymena in autumn 2022. He already sang in church, but said the choir offered a welcome break from the pressures of farming. He described farming as lonely and dangerous, particularly when labour was difficult to find, and said social activities could help counter the effects of isolation and depression.

His wife, Ruth, also joined the choir. She said the period had been difficult for both of them and that the group was “a great lifter”. She added that rehearsals, concerts and céilís had brought new friendships and provided something positive at a time when the farm was no longer as busy as usual.

The choir’s musical director, Barkley Thompson, said the group was about more than singing. Having grown up on a dairy farm, he linked the choir to the fellowship once found in rural communities, where people helped one another and shared conversation. He said automation and other changes in farming had created a social gap, while loneliness was often not openly discussed.

Kelso and Ruth were among nine choir members who sang at a King’s Coronation concert at Windsor. They met the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and Kelso also spoke with Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. The choir later received a nomination for the Making Music UK volunteer group of the year award; Thompson said it was the only Northern Irish and rural choir nominated.

Kelso’s sons began rebuilding the farm’s herd in 2022, with heifers arriving from Denmark later that year. He has since largely handed responsibility to one of them. Despite the loss and disruption, he said he consistently felt much better after attending choir practice.