He was just nine years old when his dad brought home 31 buffalo

12:51, 05 May 2026Updated 14:12, 05 May 2026

Kieran Lynch with one of his prize-winning Buffalo

At just 25 years old, a young man is taking over one of the most famous farms in Cork. Kieran Lynch is stepping up to take over his father’s Macroom Buffalo dairy business – and its herd of nearly 800 water buffalo.

His father, Johnny Lynch – best known riding on the back of one of his buffalo as part of a TV ad for Aldi back in 2018 – is “happy to hand over the responsibility” to his youngest son, as the buffalo cheese business continues to boom. They are stocked in supermarkets and on restaurant menus across Cork and Ireland, and are well known for their range, including mozzarella, feta, ricotta, and more.

Kieran is the youngest of three brothers, but luckily for him, the older two don’t share his love for animals and have established their own careers away from farm life, leaving him to take over the farm. While there is no ‘official’ handover yet, Kieran manages a large portion of the work. Speaking to Cork Beo, he said, “I mostly deal with the animals while Johnny still deals with the people”.

Kieran was just nine years old when Johnny went all the way to Tuscany, Italy, in 2009 to start a herd of buffalo. He had been farming dairy cows, but was inspired to try something different in a declining milk market in Ireland.

Buffalo milk is famous for making Mozzarella. And upon bringing his first 31 water buffalo home to Cill na Martra, he soon became famous for his signature cheeses. In almost two decades, he has grown the farm to nearly 300 acres, over 700 buffalo and 20 employees.

Macroom Buffalo has won national and international food awards and become recognisable enough for Johnny to star in a TV ad campaign for a national supermarket chain. And Kieran teased that they may be doing another telly feature soon.

Johnny “Buffalo Man” Lynch became a local celebrity after the ad

Kieran says he “grew up alongside the animals”. The last of the original Italian herd lived on the farm until last December and reached 18 years old. They were one of the first buffalo herds in Ireland.

Kieran said the venture was “something to brag about in school.” Kieran was 17 when the Aldi ad hit Irish TV screens. He got to see the makings of it and was behind the camera, shaking a bucket at the Black Beauty the buffalo, while his dad pulled off his one-liner: “Bonjourno”.

The young farmer said, “Nobody said hello to me for months. Only ‘ciao’. And my dad got good at tactically leaving the pub during matches right before half-time, because the whole pub would cheer whenever the ad came on. He was mortified.”

Kieran studied Agriculture at CIT and has always worked part-time on the farm. He had a brief stint out in Australia working in construction, but his animals were waiting for him, and he came back after a year.

Some of the herd enjoying the Irish weather

Kieran said, “I knew what was waiting for me at home. I had an opportunity that most lads will never have. There was no competition, and it was there for me whenever I wanted it.”

Since returning from Australia two years ago, he has been working full-time on the farm. His dad is still around and is “a bit slow stepping down, but will definitely stay working behind the scenes”. And with two new products hitting the shelves this week – natural yoghurt and burrata – these farmers will have their hands full for the summer.

The entire process for their main product, mozzarella, can be done in under 24 hours. Kieran said, “I’ll be milking again today, and that milk will be in by 8 pm tonight. I’ll go in and help the lads, and we should be finished by midnight, and this fresh batch will be on the shelves by midday tomorrow. Today’s milk is tomorrow’s mozzarella.”

With multiple 500-litre vats of milk constantly in production, business is flying for Macroom Buffalo. They have a wide range of buffalo milk products, including Greek-style feta, ricotta, bocconcini, and more. Kieran said he “wants to make sure the new production moves smoothly this summer.

“Seeing Aldi invest in us really makes us confident to motor on. And it gives my father some confidence to hand over the business in good condition.”

With plenty of responsibility on his hands, Kieran still finds time to see the beauty in the animals. “They come from much hotter climates, but they live in water all the time because their skin is so thick. But in the Irish climate, they’re delighted. It’s great to see the buffaloes absolutely loving the rain.

“My favourite part of the job has to be bedding the calves. I know it sounds silly, but they always get so excited when they see me with fresh straw, and you see their tails in the air like happy dogs. Seeing them all happy inside is a great part of my day.”