Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Mar 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
25
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
If you are an experienced gardener, you might enjoy staying for a year. You can come for a few days to see if you would fit in with me, and the mother and children here already.
MY DETAILS: I’m a retired vegetarian schoolmaster, and founder of the Irish Green Party. I live in a big old house in peaceful country surroundings, between Dublin and Galway. I am often visited by friends, partly for my wonderful collection of trees, but I also now have a lovely Polish family living here for the next few months. But there is also room for an enthusiastic young gardener (or two!) who want to do things their own organic way.
WHAT I CAN OFFER: A house that is old but warm, two friendly cats, several acres of over seventy kinds of trees, a workshop with lots of wood, and heaps of books for all kinds of readers, including children. There is a piano, a lot of classic vinyl discs from Bach to Bartok, and some board games; but the Reading Room is so named for a good reason! As for meals, all food is of course provided; during the day, each of us eats what we like when we like; but we have a communal meal each evening, whose preparation we enjoy sharing.
But no meat or fish - and no smokers!
Final note: l believe in answering promptly!Types of help and learning opportunities
Elderly CompanionshipGardeningDIY and building projectsCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseHelp with Computers/ InternetCultural exchange and learning opportunities
I have a large library of all sorts of books, fiction, environmental studies, biographies, etc., and many books for children of all ages.
For families there are adventure trails, trees to climb, places for hide-and-seek and running around, and the possibility for children to build their own dens.
There are musical instruments and various board games.
And two delightful cats, Comfrey and Yarrow.Help
Some useful skills are general gardening
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Shared rooms by request only.
Washing machine is free for you to use but we enjoy washing-up dishes by hand.
Several bicycles available.
Nearest train station has regular trains from Dublin and Galway.What else ...
All our gardening is organic, and we compost everything we can. Where that is not possible we carefully recycle wherever possible. A new farmer’s market nearby encourages this.
We are not just vegetarians but also do our best to respect other forms of life.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (14)
The tasks were always clear and easy. The work expected of me was completely reasonable: I could learn how to use some gardening items that I had never tried to use before.
I felt right at home for… read more
Christopher is a generous host and this was a pleasant experience for my first "official" workaway assignment. There was an interesting array of friends, guests and other volunteers during my… read more
Feedback
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:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
The tasks were always clear and easy. The work expected of me was completely reasonable: I could learn how to use some gardening items that I had never tried to use before.
I felt right at home for… read more
Christopher is a generous host and this was a pleasant experience for my first "official" workaway assignment. There was an interesting array of friends, guests and other volunteers during my… read more
They were always cheerful and hardworking and never bored.
They undertook all sorts of tasks which they had never done before, but always with great efficiency. I continue to look around me at the work they accomplished on my estate with great pleasure, and hope they will one day… read more
I loved working outside to help with the… read more
Silence in the reading room, a flickering fire to hear… read more
He has lots of amazing books and so I spent many hours in the Reading Room reading one of the books Christopher recommended with Toga, his cat, on my lap. I haven’t read that much for a long while and I loved having… read more
He was willing to work at all tasks offered, sometimes after training. In his free time he was very willing to red books in English and make a fuss of my cat!
I hope he will come this way again.
Best wishes from Christopher
He's a very serious, interesting, knowledgeable and wise person, easy to follow any conversation on any subject.
When I arrived, he went to pick me up at the station, and the same when leaving, which was very kind of… read more
I hope he will pass this way again.
I spent two weeks there, and I loved every minute of it. Christopher is kind, has good taste, and a good sense of humor. As other reviews have mentioned, the house and location is fantastic if you're looking for a rural get-away in quaint settings.
The work was fulfilling and could even be fun.… read more