It's funny that the author couldn't understand modern Irish farmers well enough to look for this effect. It absolutely does exist in the south-west of the country, and is not limited to farmers. It's not ubiquitous by any means, but it's completely unremarkable to anyone who's spent much time there.
(Maybe I can have a startup that transcribes videos with strong dialects/accents.)
I think the reason they've come to the conclusion it's a farmer thing is related to the included image of "Mikey Joe O'Shea" - a sheep farmer that went semi-viral for having a very thick accent: https://www.irishpost.com/entertainment/irish-farmers-go-vir...
The funny thing is, while the accent is indeed strong that is not IMO what makes what he says difficult to comprehend. He phrases what he says in a way that might be a bit unusual for folks like me (a Scot) so we don't immediately process what he says:
"Well there's 45 sheep missing, like. And the(re's) lambs and everything with the sheep. That's come out to a nice bit of money, like. Be done about it? Nothing"
Really cool accent though. I couldn't make out what his neighbour said immediately after when he points over to a hill in the distance. I think (hope?) that's gaelic because I couldn't make out a single word. He goes on to talk completely clearly in English about how it's a bit better when you have a good dog to protect the sheep.
(Maybe I can have a startup that transcribes videos with strong dialects/accents.)