WICKLOW’s Munny Farm went viral last week when owner Belinda Carpenter posted an ingenious method of preventing water troughs from icing over. The videos on Facebook and Instagram have both amassed over one million views each.

On Monday, January 6th, when the big snow and ice descended on the country, Belinda decided to try the clever trick she had seen online. Taking several plastic bottles, and filling them with lots of salt and warm water, leaving a little bit of air at the top, Belinda placed the concoction in her water troughs to stop ice from forming.

“I picked this up from the internet and I think it’s a brilliant trick for anybody that’s got animals outdoors,” she said.

After posting a video of the rural life hack on social media, Belinda couldn’t believe when she later saw it had gone viral on Facebook and Instagram with hundreds of comments and shares. She said the response has brought a touch of positivity to “a very bleak January”.