Organic milk sheep farm in rural Mayo is looking for some building help

Ireland

Favourited 131 times

Host rating
Feedback
7
Last activity
16/01/2021
Reply rate
100.0 %
Average reply time:
within 2 days
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Availability

2021

Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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What's this?

Details

Description
I am looking for someone with building DIY skills to help me extend the milking parlour and build a small shed for the tractor and equipment.

I have a small farm in a beautiful and quiet part of co. Mayo with a small flock of milk sheep, 2 pigs, a vegetable garden and some chickens.
I make my own sheep's cheese and yogurt during the summer months for own use. Meals are 100% organic and vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese and meat come straight from the farm and garden.
All the sheep have names and different personalities and they love to be cuddled and interact with you.
Please note you will not be involved in any commercial activities on the farm or look after animals whose products will be sold.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Farmstay help
Animal Care
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
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What's this?
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You'll have the opportunity to learn about keeping animals in an organic way, organic farming in general, simple but healthy organic lifestyle, low stress respectful animal handling (both for you and the animal), cheese making, miking and gardening.
No experience needed but a keen interest and a reasonable level of fitness would help, the quicker you're able to pick up a task, the more interesting tasks I can give you.
Help
Currently looking for someone with building DIY skills to help me extend the milking parlour for the sheep and build a small shed for the tractor and equipment.

I could use help us with the following:

Feeding the animals.
Gardening, but don't worry certainly no hours of weeding;-)
General farm help, cleaning and tidying, painting.
Cooking the main meal, 2 or three times a week.
Building activities for anyone with an interest and skills in this area is always very welcome.
Milking
cheese making for own use, no products will be sold
Tractor help
Strimming
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Accommodation
You'll be sleeping in a heated caravan, we eat together in my home, which consists of two mobile units joined together, There is a compost toilet and a grey water system so please bring organic/biodegradable soap and shampoo.
What else ...
On your days off there are plenty of walks/hikes to do in the area and we are 10 minutes from the coast by car. It's very quiet and beautiful here. This place would suit someone who likes to be away from busy society, values organic food, is interested in farming, enjoys doing physical work and seeing the result of their work and loves being in nature in their time off. Ballina is 20 minutes away by car and has a bus and train station.
There is also an opportunity for someone who wants to live in a quiet place for while to live in their own mobile accommodation, short or longer term and help a few hours in return.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (7)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

17/08/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (zain & Rachel )

I've found Zain a very enthusiastic young man, always keen for a chat with a cheerful outlook on life.He has shown great interest in our way of living and farming. He really enjoys physical work like digging trenches, so if you have any work like that he's your man. Zain I wish you many happy workaway stays!

(Good )

15/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (zain & Rachel ) for host

I had a fantastic time with this host and my time here flew by incredibly fast! Meeting all the chickens, pigs and sheep was a great and super cute experience! I learned so much about sheep and how much they can provide if they are treated with respect and love which kirsten certainly provides! I was addicted to the sheep's milk, Yogurt and cheese… read more

(Excellent )

06/08/2020

Left by Workawayer (Bill & Leah) for host

* Peaceful * Insightful * Accommodating * Natural *

Just a few words to describe the environment Kirsten has created for herself and her volunteers! For Leah and I, this was our first workaway experience and I must say from the first few minutes we felt at ease with our hosts. They are open, honest people, and great craic. The farm is excellently… read more run and the soil, plants, and animals are all given the utmost care. Kirsten swears by organic living and will gladly share her knowledge on all things organic - from farming economics to nutrition - to anyone who is interested. Personally I loved seeing how they made their "Summer Solstice" cheese, which brings me on to the food.....

Leah and I cooked as part of our work - which was such a pleasure! They have a pantry full of organic herbs, spices, and dry goods; plenty of pork and lamb from the farm, their own fresh milk, eggs and yoghurt (delicious) and a selection of fine cheeses; As for the veg, why, you may go out to the poly tunnel and take whatever is fresh! The ingredients were all so full of flavour and we really lived to eat while staying there!

Kirsten and Marcel have two different approaches to giving work: Kirsten will show you a job which she feels you can do, brief you on the important bits and let you work at it independently, knowing that you can come find her if there's any issue. Marcel takes a more philosophical approach, staying with you as he demonstrates a task and gives you positive reinforcement. He might come back to check on you, and I hear he knows how to make a pretty good banana milkshake.. But you didn't hear it from me! The bottom line with this place is, the more effort you put in with your work, the more you will learn and get out of your stay. I never felt exploited or overworked in any way and Kirsten was very flexible with what hours we worked on what days, which really let us get the most out of our stay.

All in all, we enjoyed equal parts our work and our time off, chatting and exploring the area. There is so much to learn there from staying with people who really live by what they preach. And the experience of living so healthily around such tranquil and beautiful scenery will do you good for body and mind. I miss the people (for both the deep chats and the A-grade banter), the food, and the attention loving sheep. I even grew to like the pigs and how cheeky they were around feeding time - not that we would have anything in common...

If you managed to read all of that, you're probably invested enough to give this place a try. I wish you all the best with your stay!

(Excellent )

18/07/2020

Left by Workawayer (Darragh) for host

Both Kirsten and Marcel are all a workawayer could hope for. They were workawayers themselves, so they are very conscious of the time you spend working and what to expect from a volunteer. They live in a very sustainable and ecological conscious manner, and are happy to teach you this way of living. Their farm is situated in an idyllic part of… read more

(Excellent )

16/07/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Darragh)

Darragh stayed with us for 3 weeks and it was a delight to have him around. He is a very good cook, makes a mean pizza, loves gardening and is good with a strimmer, a chainsaw and the tractor. He has shown interest in our lifestyle and has a good sense of humour. On his days off he has enjoyed the beauty and peace of county Mayo. I highly… read more

(Excellent )

06/04/2020

Left by Workawayer (Marie) for host

Though I only had a rather short time to stay with Kirsten and Marcel, it has been one of the best times of my life. They are such amazing people! They're so kind and very funny, too. You most certainly wont get bored with them. It's really easy to connect with them, especially talking about topics such as Harry Potter or the Terry Pratchett… read more novels. Also, they have some hilarious storys to tell about some of the animals they've been living with. Kirsten has a lot of knowledge of organic farming, gardening, sheep and loads more to pass on and Marcell is an excellent cook. They're both really cool and inspiring people.
Their farm is just the place to be (though the weather in the beginning of march is, well, something to get used to - good rainclothes are a very good idea). I really enjoyed being able to take a break from the business of the outside world and enjoy some sheep cuddling. Lots of it, to be more precise, as I spent every evening in the shed. It's just the perfect place to forget all the worries and the stress, sitting there on the ground amidst the sheep. They are such lovely creatures! Though they can get a bit annoying, asking for treats all of the time. Not to mention any names, but Twinky and Danique are quite... determined when it comes to that. Still, they're my favourites :) I already miss them a lot. All of the sheep are individuals, you really can tell a difference. And the lambs are just gorgeous, even if they try eating your hair at times. It's been a really special experience watching some of them being born, bottle feeding them a few times and changing their tiny coats protecting them against the weather when they're still very young.
But even if you're not as much into sheep as I am, there's a lot to enjoy. Helping out in the garden, planting trees, occasionally collecting seaweed at the beach and of course feeding the chicken in the morning, just to mention a few things. And on days off there's a lot to explore and though I was quite content spending most of my time at the farm, I had some amazing walks. There's so much the area has to offer.
Though I couldn't come back in April as planned because of the Corona virus, I'll most certainly return at some point. My time there just was way to good not to do so. I initially came for the sheep, but I'll come back for the people. Well, and the sheep of course.
Thank you for this wonderful experience, it has been a pleasure!

(Excellent )

04/03/2020

Left by Workawayer (Johanna) for host

I spend three wonderful weeks with Kirsten and Marcel (and Donna and Ilyana and Luise and Polly and all the other sheep!) Yes, all of the sheep really do have names and you will get to know them and their different personalities! Besides feeding the chicken and collecting the eggs, cuddling the sheep is a task you'll be asked to do every day:) I… read more

(Excellent )

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