Woodland establishment and rewilding on the Wild Atlantic Way, County Mayo, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  I have established Native Deciduous woodland for carbon-sequestration and wild-life habitat and the nuts, fruits, wildflowers harvests for food and herbal medicines.
  
  This Spring 2026 I planted out another 250 small trees on the mountain. If you volunteer with us work consists in distributing lime on the land, cutting back brambles, repairing dry stone walls damaged by Atlantic storms. We shall be repairing and maintaining the access road up to the renovated cottage . We shall be lime-washing the cottage .
  
  Pushing wheel-barrows of earth up a 30 degree slope in bracing fresh mountain air beats working-out in a gym ! You would contribute to making replacement doors for stone outbuildings to create additional bed-space and workshop and help to repair the old oak half-door of the cottage. You would participate in house-cleaning and meal preparation. You would help producing organic fruit and vegetables for the table.
  
  Our cottage is on 13 acres of mountainside and is remote but frequent local bus services run along the coast road with services to Mayo towns (the beautiful coastal towns of Westport, Ballina, and Castlebar and access to the spectacularly-beautiful Mayo Coast . There are hiking and biking trails nearby on The Great Western Greenway and bike-hire available in Louisburgh and Newport.Mayo is rich in World Heritage sites, all accessible by bike along the Greenway or local bus and train services.
  
  Westport and Ballina have noted traditional music and arts festivals.
  
  We "repair, re-use, reduce" and are mindful to avoid environmentally-damaging activities and consumption.
  
  We are older adults and appreciate your tutoring and advice on computers/Iphones/internet-stuff! We enjoy meeting new people and sharing our work and our days, and learning about their 'back-home' lives and cultures.
  
  If you thirst for a tranquil, task-focussed environment with the gratification of "a job well done" this project would suit you. If you are not "in a rush" and genuinely open to engaging with the land and learning by doing, you would fit in here and have a constructive, memorable stay.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Elderly Companionship

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Hitchhiking

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Water sports

  

  Nature

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Technology

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Farming

  

  Culture

  

  Photography

  

  Plant care

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Mayo is famous for its live Celtic folk music in local pubs and art-centres There are fairs and festivals all within easy commute by bus, rail or bike/Uber.
  
  Attractions throughout the year include a celebration week of Mayo's Dark Sky Park (November), an annual Salmon Festival in Ballina (July), an International 4-Day Walking Festival in Castlebar (June). The Heinrich Boll Festival is held annually on nearby Achill Island in early May, The Westival Festival in Westport.
  
  Mayo is strong on craft and art exhibitions and workshops, especially traditional crafts of spinning, weaving and dyeing.

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  Help

  We welcome volunteers with commitment to "reduce, reuse, renew" in daily life to minimise environmental damage. You would help with our sensitive management of a small-holding including household tidying and meal-preparation. All tasks are clearly explained along the way and activities done together with Host.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  To be comfortable here you would need to have Intermediate Level English. Marie understands/speaks "an teanga beo" (the soft tongue - Irish) and would like to speak it more. Paul studied Russian as a young man and remembers a little. We both 'get the gist of' French and German without formal schooling in either language.
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  Accommodation

  Your own bedroom in small Irish cottage with comfortable clean single x 2 or 1 double bed. Access to shower, bathroom, washing machine. Meals x 3 daily Monday to Friday.
  
  Weekends are your "Personal Time" to explore the Wild Atlantic Way (heritage sites, locations of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surfing, off-shore island visits etc) individual or organized hill-hikes. Whenever possible we offer visiting WorkAwayers lifts to help them towards their chosen cultural or recreational destination.
  
  We relish private time at the weekends. There are no formal "sit-down dinners" on Saturday or Sunday. instead we happily provide sandwiches and flasks of soup/tea/coffee for hiking, walking or explorations around the County and Coastline. Our interests include birdwatching and Tai Chi and those usually fill the weekends. Visiting helpers are welcome to participate.

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  What else ...

  There are local buses, bike-hire shops and taxis locally. We offer lifts to local towns each week - Castlebar, Ballina and Westport - for shopping and cultural events.
  
  Coaches from Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport and Knock International Airport bring you to Westport. When/if we are available we pick up WorkAwayers from local coach-stops by arrangement.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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