Mary McEvoy is battling with the challenges of unexpected pregnancies. But she’s comfortable in her own skin, enjoying country life despite the pandemic restrictions, happy to go to counselling again and learning to deal with a world without distractions. By Carissa Casey.

Mary McEvoy has one eye on the field outside her farmhouse as we talk. Grazing peacefully there, are 19 pregnant ewes, older ladies who should probably know better. The daddy is a ram of the miniature Soay breed of sheep, a present from a friend.

“I christened him Oreo because the curved horns at the side of his head looked like two little Oreo biscuits,” she explains. “Because of his size I thought that sexual congress with a normal sized sheep would be impossible for him. So I didn’t take him away from my ladies. Unfortunately I was completely wrong.”

Mary inherited the sheep farm in Westmeath from her parents but she gave up serious farming some years ago. “It got to the stage where I couldn’t take the little lambs away from the sheep. So I decided to keep the flock of ewes I had as pets, thinking they would die off, because they were quite elderly at that stage. But they’re so relaxed and happy, they’re still here, every one of them, getting inappropriately pregnant.”

It’s all made for a busy start to the year. She’s up every morning at 5.30am checking on her flocks. “I have a few of ‘my boys’ up in another field which is a good walk away. They’re wethers which are castrated male sheep. It takes a while to get up to them now because every step you take you get stuck in the mud because it’s so wet. I’m feeding them morning and evening. Or I’m going to get feed for them and that’s before we do any shopping for ourselves.”

The much loved actor is a wonderful mix of hardworking, practical Bean an Tí and earthy spiritualism. It makes for a fresh take on all sorts of topics from veganism to mental health. She is passionate about animal welfare and says the world only makes sense to her when viewed through a spiritual prism. 

“I’m not vegan. I’m not even vegetarian,” she admits. “I do think I’ll leave this planet as a vegan. But what will serve the welfare of animals better than veganism in a way, is if the consumer starts to demand ethically-produced and kindly-produced meat.

“We need to be careful that we don’t end up leaving meat production to people who don’t care. We need more woke meat eaters, if you like.”

The farm has kept her occupied during the pandemic. She’s a regular on Today with Daithí and Maura which she loves but finds she doesn’t miss acting at all. “I don’t miss any aspect of it. I don’t want to be ungrateful for the acting work I’ve had but it was a way of earning a living and that was it. It wasn’t a passion. I’m certainly not up for touring. I’m hoping something new will come in. I love being here on the farm.”

Read full interview with Mary McEvoy in our issue of Woman’s Way, on shelves now!