Looking after our cats and home while we are away in Donegal, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  I live in North West Donegal in Ireland, with my partner Denis and my cat Boo, and also two new outdoor cats. I live close to beautiful beaches and mountains, which are great for trekking. It is also about a 10 minute walk to the local village of Gortahork. Where there is a hotel and a pub, which serves the best Guinness and there are some small convenience stores where you can buy groceries. My partner and I both work full time Monday to Friday. Our cat Boo, is a very sweet, gentle cat and he loves affection, hugs and kisses. He is indoor and outdoor cat, so gets the best of both worlds. We have recently bought a new house and acquired two new outdoor cats, which came with the house!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  Interests

  

  Culture

  

  Pets

  

  Self development

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Books

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Performing arts

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Cycling

  

  Dancing
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We live in a Gaeltacht village in Ireland, so the locals mainly speak Irish as their first language, (although everyone speaks English too). In many of the pubs there are traditional Irish music nights. On Sunday afternoons in the Shamrock pub, from 4pm-6.30pm, there is a music session, it is like an open mic and you can sing a song, or play an instrument or just sit and enjoy the music. There are beautiful beaches to walk or to do water sports like surfing or body boarding, and mountains to climb which probably only take 2-3 hours to go up and down in one day. I have a bicycle and a bodyboard you can borrow. There are also pool tables in a nearby local pub called Teach Bhillies in Gortahork and some of the pubs also host quiz nights. There is also a beautiful castle and gardens at Glenveagh National Park (a 30 minute drive from our house). Also, Ards Forest Park and Ards Friary (approximately a 30 minute drive from our house, accesible by bus) are very scenic places for walks. There are also lots other pretty villages to visit, such as Dunfanaghy, Downings and Gweedore.

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  Help

  We are going on holidays from October 3rd 2026 until October 18th 2026. We need someone to look after our cats, feed them twice per day and change their water every day and give them affection and play time and let Boo in and out as he is an indoor/outdoor cat. We will also require some household tasks to be done, mainly to keep the house clean and tidy while we are away. Also some light gardening, such as weeding.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Ukrainian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  My partner speaks, Italian, Spanish, German, English and Irish fluently, he also speaks a little French and is currently learned Ukrainian. I only speak to English.
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  Accommodation

  It is a 3 bedroom house, with 2 bathrooms and a sunroom. It is quite a spacious, detached house in the countryside. It is a very peaceful house.
  
  You can use whatever food we have in the house.

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  What else ...

  There is a local bus to Letterkenny, which is a large town about 50 mins from our home. You can also use this bus service to access the next villages, Falcarragh and Dunfanaghy. On your time off you could use my bicycle to cycle to the beach (about 20 minute bike ride) or to go to the local village (about a 5 minute cycle). There are some nice cafes in Falcarragh, Batch is an excellent café and the Strand Road Restaurant is great for evening meals and there are about 4 pubs in Falcarragh, which about a 20 minute cycyle.
  We have sky tv with all the movie and sports channels. We also have an open fire which you can light, and oil central heating, and an electiric hallogen heater. We also have an electric shower and excellent Wi-Fi.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  My partner and I both work from home so our internet is very good.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Bill and Ben

  

  Bill and Ben

  

  Boo (4 years)

  Short haired, domestic black cat, with white spot on chest. Very lovable, gentle, little cat, who loves hugs, kisses and a fuss made about him. He also loves to play and hunt.

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