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Nathan Morrow is a farmer with a deep sense of history. He tells Kathleen Carragher that the farm has been in his family for more than 500 years and he has many stories about the land, the people, the customs and the occasional discoveries of archaeological treasures, including a gold cross, found by his great grandfather.

Growing up on the farm he helped his father to mend the dry stone walls which are such a distinctive feature of the farm and surrounding countryside. It was this work which nurtured his passion for stone masonry. He became fascinated with the heritage side of the craft and as well as running the farm, he now has his own stone masonry business. He has worked on many prestige projects, including Royal Residence at Hillsborough Castle and Queen's University in Belfast. He also runs stone masonry courses.

Nathan tells Kathleen that he and his father traditionally farmed sheep and dairy cattle but found it unprofitable. Now he raises beef cattle – a very distinctive breed called the Irish Speckle Park. It was developed in Canada and introduced to the Glens in the 1980s. Nathan says he fell in love with the breed, so much so that he undertakes the hard and expensive work of breeding his herd from embryos.

"The embryos are sent over from Canada," he says. "It's quite a gamble. I have a success rate of about fifty percent but it 's worthwhile. They're lovely cows... so docile and easy to work with and they produce premium marbled beef."

Nathan is helped on the farm by his partner, Ceara, who didn't come from a farming background but now plays an important role when his stone masonry work takes him off farm. The couple plan to increase the herd over the next few years and develop a farm shop to sell directly to customers. Nathan is converting a barn so he can run stone masonry classes from the Rock Farm and spend more time at home.

Kathleen joined Nathan on a visit to one of his more unusual jobs, at the world famous Giant's Causeway, further up the Antrim coast. He says: "Visitors often lodge coins into the cracks of the iconic hexagonal pillars in the belief that it brings good luck. Unfortunately, the coins expand, get stuck in the cracks and if they're left there the coin metal will damage and discolour the basalt. We need to chisel them out very delicately to avoid lasting damage."

Nathan says his heritage work with stone masonry has given him a particular perspective on managing the family farm. " It changes your mindset. You have to learn about a place, its history and cultural significance before you fix things and it's the same on a farm. You don't just take out a hedge or ditch. It was there for a reason.

"I love this place.. it means everything to me – the fields and the dry stone walls - and I hope my care of it will make it even better."