Hello travellers, I'm William and this is my partner Andrew. We work in the arts and live in West Cork Ireland. I'm a visual artist born and raised here and Andrew works between here and London.
We live in a little cottage that sits on the Atlantic coast which is nesting in a wild and beautiful garden with views out over coastal headlands. The cottage is a short walk to local beaches and less than a 10 minute drive to local villages and town.
This year we are self building a large eco artist studio and managing our 0.8 acre garden.
We are both English speakers but are familiar with a few others languages too. I can speak very basic Spanish, Swedish and German. Andrew can speak and understand a little flemish/dutch. Our Irish is VERY limited but if you are interested to learn then we can help guide you in the right direction.
We're looking forward to hearing from you so get in touch!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Volunteers will have a opportunity to:
Experience the Irish coastal landscape
Discover the heritage and ecology of this area
Work with native plants and trees
Learn about gardening and garden maintenance in a coastal region.
Learn about Eco building practices
Visit local pubs
Taste local produce available at local markets, home cooking and restaurants
Try sea swimming ( it is cold but refreshing!) and saunas!
local walks to beaches
Help
LATEST UPDATE July 2025
We looking for someone creative to help us with practical tasks on our land and interest in nature.
We also welcome those with interest in gardening , eco building who enjoy getting stuck into physical tasks in all weathers.
from July to September we will be:
Hedge/Tree pruning
Plant maintenance
Foraging
Harvesting
Doing practical things in the studio
You will be staying in a small but very cosy little cabin space attached to our cottage. You will have your own double bed on an attic mezzanine and/or a lower bed. The cabin has a toilet and tiny shower room below. There is a sofa and small desk space with Wifi internet there too. You have access to our cottage kitchen and living space during meal times.
Please note: this space for only big enough for a couple to stay for a short period.
What else ...
We are very deep in the countryside.
We have a car and can give lifts in and out of town. We are a 10 minute drive from the nearest town, Skibbereen. We also have an electric bike which you can borrow and is a 25 minute ride into town or a 10 minute ride to the local village.
There are regular buses from Skibbereen to others villages and towns. It is approx 2 hour bus ride to Cork (our nearest city with an international airport). We can collect you from Skibbereen.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have wifi here that is average - about 5mb speed. So depending on your working commitments we can discuss whether our set up here could work for you.
Space for parking camper vans
We have space for a camper van and camping space (for a sturdy tent) and a hose pipe hook up. We have well water available for washing or boiling but drinking water needs to be bought. We also have a lovely shed that doubles as an outdoor kitchen so that cooking and washing up can be done in a dry space.
I stayed with William for a month and had a really positive experience. During my stay, I helped with a variety of tasks, including garden groundskeeping, cutting wooden panels, sanding, and painting for the art studio he is currently building.
I especially enjoyed the location near the coast — it’s peaceful, quiet, and incredibly beautiful. The… read more view from the house is stunning, and there are lovely walks nearby along the coastline. Skibbereen, the closest town, is also nice to visit.
William was very welcoming and kind. We shared delicious vegetarian meals together, and I really enjoyed spending time with — and taking care of — his two friendly cats.
He also brought me along to the local market and to a community café with queer people, and we spent time together going to restaurants as well. I highly recommend this stay if you’re interested in art, want to learn more about building and crafts, or enjoy hands-on groundskeeping work.
It was a total pleasure having Romaine stay for a month and help us with various tasks in the studio, garden and cottage. Romaine brought a friendly, openminded and calm energy to our home and to whatever he did - whether varnishing woodwork in the studio, gardening or making the most delicious Fondue and bread! The weather here can be quite… read more extreme over winter which means helpers need to be flexible about the jobs they do plus I had to leave home for a few days. Romaine was very adaptable in dealing with these unexpected changes and I implicitly trusted him to look after the cottage and our two cats. Myself and the cats will miss him. We wish him a fantastic journey ahead!
(Excellent
)
22 Jun 2025
Left by Workawayer (Tessa) for host
This was my first Workaway and I had a great experience staying with Will for two weeks. It was just the two of us and I felt welcome from the start.
There was plenty to do in the garden and the studio, and I liked the mix of both indoor and outdoor work: weeding, building the greenhouse, doing the dishes, clearing the studio/garden and working on… read more the floor or the wood elements in the studio, all while listening to that cool radio station (what's the name again?).
Will is a great cook and I enjoyed every meal!
I also really appreciated our conversations about life, work and art and it was great to see his artistic work and to take part in his photo series in May.
In my free time, I enjoyed going for walks and exploring the beautiful surroundings, from the beaches and cliffs to the small villages. West Cork is just lovely.
Also, the fish tacos deserve a special mention!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent
)
19 Feb 2025
Left by Workawayer (Sara) for host
My friend and I, Lennon, stayed for about 2 weeks at William's amazing land in West Cork in November 2024. We were blessed by both William and Andrew's fun personalities, and generosity! We helped with the construction on their artist studio, as well as cooking, and gardening. We danced, sang, did frosty plunges on the coast, and had adventures in… read more town to the Skib farmers market. Love these too and would happily see them again.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
I stayed with William for a month and had a really positive experience. During my stay, I helped with a variety of tasks, including garden groundskeeping, cutting wooden panels, sanding, and painting for the art studio he is currently building.
I especially enjoyed the location near the coast — it’s peaceful, quiet, and incredibly beautiful. The… read more view from the house is stunning, and there are lovely walks nearby along the coastline. Skibbereen, the closest town, is also nice to visit.
William was very welcoming and kind. We shared delicious vegetarian meals together, and I really enjoyed spending time with — and taking care of — his two friendly cats.
He also brought me along to the local market and to a community café with queer people, and we spent time together going to restaurants as well. I highly recommend this stay if you’re interested in art, want to learn more about building and crafts, or enjoy hands-on groundskeeping work.
It was a total pleasure having Romaine stay for a month and help us with various tasks in the studio, garden and cottage. Romaine brought a friendly, openminded and calm energy to our home and to whatever he did - whether varnishing woodwork in the studio, gardening or making the most delicious Fondue and bread! The weather here can be quite… read more extreme over winter which means helpers need to be flexible about the jobs they do plus I had to leave home for a few days. Romaine was very adaptable in dealing with these unexpected changes and I implicitly trusted him to look after the cottage and our two cats. Myself and the cats will miss him. We wish him a fantastic journey ahead!
(Excellent)
22 Jun 2025
Left by Workawayer (Tessa) for host
This was my first Workaway and I had a great experience staying with Will for two weeks. It was just the two of us and I felt welcome from the start.
There was plenty to do in the garden and the studio, and I liked the mix of both indoor and outdoor work: weeding, building the greenhouse, doing the dishes, clearing the studio/garden and working on… read more the floor or the wood elements in the studio, all while listening to that cool radio station (what's the name again?).
Will is a great cook and I enjoyed every meal!
I also really appreciated our conversations about life, work and art and it was great to see his artistic work and to take part in his photo series in May.
In my free time, I enjoyed going for walks and exploring the beautiful surroundings, from the beaches and cliffs to the small villages. West Cork is just lovely.
Also, the fish tacos deserve a special mention!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
19 Feb 2025
Left by Workawayer (Sara) for host
My friend and I, Lennon, stayed for about 2 weeks at William's amazing land in West Cork in November 2024. We were blessed by both William and Andrew's fun personalities, and generosity! We helped with the construction on their artist studio, as well as cooking, and gardening. We danced, sang, did frosty plunges on the coast, and had adventures in… read more town to the Skib farmers market. Love these too and would happily see them again.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
27 Jun 2023
Left by Workawayer (Carina) for host
I had a lovely time in West Cork!
William and Andrew have a wonderful home in nature overlooking the sea! It's a very quiet area and a bit isolated. But perfect if you are looking for a peaceful place and like to be in nature. There are some beaches nearby and lots to explore! I had good weather and always worked in the garden. For example… read more mowing, weeding, clearing hedges and I start building a stone wall.
I was able to get to know Andrew on the first day before he traveled back to London. Both are very open and friendly people!
The small cabin was very comfortable!
I partly cooked myself and partly William cooked for us. It has always worked fine.
Unfortunately I was only there for 6 days! But I really enjoyed my time there!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
24 May 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Julia)
This was a first workaway/host experience for both myself and Julia and feel like we really lucked out! Julia is a talented person with a fabulous energy and enthusiasm and she took to the physical challenges of winter gardening here at the cottage like a fish to water! The weather here on the coast changes all the time so we had to adapt our… read more daily tasks according to the weather. I found Julia great company and we shared many lovely conversations over meals I cooked (which she always washed up after - what a dream :-). Julia was invaluable in pruning the hedges, doing (and self learning) household DIY around the cottage when the weather was too cold and wet. She also helped us plant a traditional Irish 'Saillie (Willow) Garden' which I hope to harvest next year for basket making. The young willow shoots are is now flourishing and green in the summer sun! thanks to you Julia.
(Excellent)
20 Mar 2023
Left by Workawayer (Julia) for host
This was my first Workaway experience and I absolutely LOVED it! Andrew was not there during the time I was over so I was there for about 10 days with William. William was so very hospitable and welcoming and made me feel comfortable from the moment I got there. It was also his first time hosting and I feel our communication was easy and that it… read more worked out so well for the both of us! William is incredibly creative and I got to enjoy his great cooking. I did not have too much gardening experience previously but he was very patient with me and explained a lot about the plants but also about the region and its captivating history. It was a real pleasure getting to know him better throughout my stay.
The view from the house and garden overlooking the ocean is absolutely stunning and in retrospect I slightly regret not going out for more walks along the coast line! I was staying in a lovely and well equipped shed attached to the main house which was a great experience in itself. It felt so cozy and finally got to finish some books that I was reading!
My work activities mostly consisted of helping with preparing the garden for spring, trimming of the bushes and hedge, some small painting jobs and on the last day we planted a salix garden which was a lot of fun! I hope I’ll see some pictures of once they start growing.
The tasks were definitely physically demanding for me at times but it was rewarding seeing the progress and I’m personally not used to doing a lot of physical labor so I can imagine them being not as heavy for someone else.
I feel very appreciative and thankful of my time here. It was an experience I’ll never forget and I wish William and Andrew all the best for the exciting upcoming built of the studio!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Tom was a great person to have stay at our cottage. He was respectful, an experienced traveller/workawayer and sensitive to the place and the lifestyle we have here. There were some unexpected changes to my schedule during the two weeks he was here which meant I had to leave the place (and Bell the cat) in his care. Tom clearly loves cats and is… read more conscientious so I felt confident in leaving him to look after my house during that time. I gave him various tasks to get on with while I was away and I have to say when I got back I have never seen my garden looking so neat and well looked after!!
Tom likes his quiet space alone and after dinner kept himself to himself most evenings which was totally fine.
We are remote here which might not suit everyone plus it was a particularly busy time for me. However as Tom loves walking, sea swimming, reading and writing it was definitely a place that seemed to suit his rhythm.
I stayed at Will's place for about two weeks in May of 2023, and I had an overall great time. We ended up not seeing each other much, because he was away for work for a week or so, but there were so much to do work wise and so much to see in West Cork that I found myself working and exploring everyday at my own pace, which is a liberty I greatly… read more appreciate.
I mostly did gardening jobs that didn't require technical skills, and the tasks were various enough that I could do a bit of everything everyday without it feeling too repetitive or senseless. Outside of work, Will taught me a bunch of stuff about Irish culture, as well as his father who was with us for a few days, and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to have some insight regarding the land we walk upon. Also, he is a hell of a cook, so if you go there, expect delicious meals (sorry I ate all the garlic).
All and all it was a great experience in an area of Ireland that I had no idea was this beautiful. I even got to swim in the sea from the various beaches that are a 20min walk from the house. I would say though, it is a very remote area and you must be aware of that if you go there without your own mode of transportation. If you don't really care for the peaceful atmosphere and enjoy a more busy lifestyle, this might not be the place for you.
(Excellent)
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Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
General Maintenance
