Great Big Story visited with farmer Kenny Gracey of Forthill Farm in County Armagh, Northern Ireland who shared the remarkable story of how a producer from HBO series Game of Thrones saved him from losing his livestock farm a few years ago. The series specifically sought out Forthill Farm because of their rare breeds of farm animals native to the British Isles, which were a perfect fit for the show.

On the farm we have the old traditional breed animals that are native to the British Isles namely the longhorn cattle Jacob sheep and Saddleback pigs. I was going through difficult times and I’m not ashamed to admit as I was struggling. I was approached by Game of Thrones and they asked, could I supply rare and traditional animals for their production I said yes, of course and so this was a godsend to me.