About Us

Our breed of duck is Pekin duck, because we live so close to Roaring Water bay, the salt air effects adds to the texture of the duck giving a salt marsh flavour.

  • Eugene and his parents reared and processed geese and turkeys for Christmas
  • 1994 – Eugene and Helena started with 30 ducks, killed and plucked by hand and received a leader grant to build a processing unit
  • Over the years, the numbers had grown considerably to the business it is today
  • 2015 new factory built and ready to go for further processing with a full cooking unit

Skeaghanore Duck has received a number of Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards over the past few years

2020:

Blas Na Heireann

Gold:

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Breast of Duck

Chefs Larder / Chefs Choice:

Skeaghanore Duck Fat

Great Taste Food Awards:

3 stars***

Aldi Free range goose and nominated for a golden fork

 

1 star*

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Duck Breast

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Chicken Crown

Dunnes stores Simply Better Confit duck legs

Dunnes stores Simply Better Irish Smoked Duck Breast

Dunnes stores Simply Better Free Range Goose

2019:

Blas Na Heireann

Gold

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Breast of Duck

Dunnes stores Simply Better Irish Smoked Duck Breast

Skeaghanore Irish smoked Chicken Supreme

Silver

Skeaghanore Irish smoked Chicken Supreme

Great taste food awards:

3 stars: ***

Aldi Specially Selected Free Range Goose and nominated for golden fork

(Travelled to London to the prize giving but sadly didn’t win our category but our goose made to the TOP 3 products in all of Ireland )

2 stars: **

Skeaghanore Irish Confit Duck Legs

Dunnes stores Simply Better Irish Smoked Duck Breast

1 Star *

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Duck Breast

Skeaghanore Irish Smoked Chicken Crown

 

2018:

2017: Smoked Duck Breast: Bronze Award
2016: Smoked Chicken: Gold Award
2015: Confit of Duck Leg: Gold Award
2014: Confit of Duck Leg: Silver Award
2013: Blas na hEireann Best Artisan: Smoked Breast of Duck
2013: Blas na hEireann Best Chief: Smoked Breast of Duck

Eugene Hickey

Eugene is the third generation of farmers on which the Skeaghanore Duck business is set upon. Helena was in England, so Eugene made the decision to fly over and spent a few years working on construction sites. When the time came, both made the decision to come home to West Cork. In 1990, Eugene and Helena married and settled on the family farm in Skeaghanore. Eugene’s parents always had poultry on the farm, for their own use growing up.

Eugene now manages a duo – farming method with milking cows all year round, as well as taking care of the duck rearing. He successfully rears delicious duck and Christmas geese for us all to enjoy, maintains the farm and loves his wife.

Helena Hickey

Grown up in Woodfield, Michael Collins country. Helena grew and spread her wings to study nursing in the Mercy Hospital in Cork city. From a love of nursing Helena flew across the pond to England to train as a midwife. In 1988, both Helena and Eugene moved back from England to West Cork wed in 1990 and started a family of their own.

Work in Skeaghanore is a very different setting to a hospital room, but Helena successfully made the transition and deals with the day to day running of the business. From the distribution, marketing, stock control, accounts and sales.

Eugene and Helena as one

From 1991, the family starts to grow with the addition of the first son Daniel. Come 1994, Helena is due with their first daughter, Clara. Worried about the income to support their growing family. They saw that there is a gap in the market for poultry other than chicken, people were looking for a good quality Irish duck. From here, the idea grew, they bought in day old, reared them for 7-8 weeks, processed them and travelled from restaurant door to shop door asking people to try their duck. Fields Supervalu were one of the first to take the duck and have always had a strong relationship with good quality food. Even today 23 years on, this relationship still stands strong, and is always one of the first Supervalu we approach try and test new products.

Like we always say, the family grew as the business grew. In 1997 their second daughter Lisa reaches the scenes, now the business is expanding quickly with the ducks taking up more and more room. The addition of their fourth and fifth child, Joseph in 1999 and Eoghan in 2001 the business is a strong competitor in the duck market. Five children, the couple have a strong following to help out with the work load as the years went on.

Daniel Hickey

Daniel from a young age, worked on the farm with Eugene and his grandfather. He always had an interest in the farm and the business, working on the farm in his spare time and summer holidays. He graduated from Cork Institute of Technology with a degree in agriculture in 2014, and currently working on a business masters.

Daniel joined the team once he completed college and helped progress the business to the next stage with Helena and Eugene. Daniel assists in the work and management of the farm and duck business.

Daniel