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My husband and I built a eco friendly house in 2006 and have been developing the gardens since then. We have a large poly tunnel, an outdoor vegetable garden, fruit bushes, an orchard, flowers, wild areas, permaculture and structured hedges and many trees on our 1.5 acre site. It is a garden to be peaceful in, to have fun in, to move mindfully in and to wander and wonder at the beauty of nature in. Two cats, two goats and one sheep keep us entertained - the goats and sheep are “eco strimmers”! There are also hens and bees to keep us busy.
We also have 2 adult college going children in their early 20s who may be with us during part of your visit.
We are self sufficient for a lot of the year in vegetables and I love to cook so you can expect healthy, delicious meals during your stay.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We enjoy hosting and those staying with us we consider to be part of the household. We have many pastimes that we are happy to share from beekeeping, cooking vegan and vegetarian food and fermentation. I love to share recipes!
Help is required with gardening - digging, planting, weeding and harvesting - all depending on the time of year. We have an ongoing need for trimming hedges, tidying of flower beds and occasional strimming. From time to time we have small DIY projects to be done about the garden - the ability to use small hand tools would come in handy.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
One bedroom with a double bed. Beside it is a bathroom with shower for your use.
What else ...
Swimming, surfing, beautiful walks, music and culture in Sligo are all within reach. There is a local Saturday market which provides a great opportunity to meet the fantastic local community we have. We are 12 minutes (by car) to the nearby beach. Several buses per day to Sligo or Ballina town. We have a bike for your use
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have space in our driveway to park up a Ford Transit or VW Crafter sized campervan and there is easy access to toilet and shower downstairs in our home.
We stayed one week at Mary and Adrian's home and it was amazing! They are so kind and friendly!
And the area is beautiful (thank you for the tips).
We helped them in their garden, we winded, collected fallen leaves, helped them to peel apples, and each day one tiny plant to move :)
We exchanged about their culture, played some card games with them… read more and their son and they even invited us to a traditional Halloween night! We'll never forget that.
We also enjoyed the meals and scones of Mary, the chutney of Adrian and a lot of other tasting... :)
What a laugh !
Mary and Adrian could be fun, relax, singers, meditators, players, cookers, a wonderful mix.
Luna is so cute, and their cat as well "en ronronnant"...
Thank you so much for everything !
It was a pleasure to host Coralie and Olivier in our home. They are a delightful couple and always find the joy in every situation. They are both great workers and u was so delighted to get some of my plants moved ( on my list for a long time) , strumming, weeding and even my oven cleaned when we had a wet day. They applied themselves to each job… read more with care and attention and I am very grateful for all their help. They are both very easy to get on with and during the week they were with us I felt we got to know each other and had many lovely moments of connection. I would highly recommend them to other hosts.
I have a chance to spend 14 days with this wonderfull family. Mary and Adrien are reallly kind and wonderfull people,we also shared lot of laugh together. Work was never too hard,I work in a garden most of a days and I had also chance to made apple juice with their friends and neigbours and ot was really fun.
Food was really tasty, mostly… read more vegetarian and Mary is a great cook.
They took me everywhere with them so I had a chance to experience true irish kindness and welcoming personality.
We were swimming in the ocean which is really close, we visited nice concert od traditional music and I was in singing lesson too!
It was one of the best experience of my life and I reaaly would love to come back someday because I really fell in love with Ireland and I felt like at home.
I wish you all the best and thank you very much for eberything!
Adrian and I hosted Veronica for 10 days in September and it was a great experience from start to finish. Veronika is full of joy and fun and we had many laughs together. I found her interesting and enjoyed listening to her experiences and views on life. She did good work in the garden helping with clearing veg beds and covering them up for the… read more winter, a lot of weeding and was a tremendous help during our apple harvesting and juicing day. I would definitely recommend her to future hosts as being reliable, trustworthy and good fun!
I’m so grateful to have stayed with Mary and Adrian as my first Workaway experience! They are incredibly warm, generous and interesting people, who welcomed me wholeheartedly into their home and gave me a week of wonderful memories.
Their house is an amazing place which they have done so much work to over the years; in particular I loved the view… read more from the back windows over the mountain… really magical to drink a coffee with that view!
I enjoyed the physical demands of the work as it was so different from my normal routine as a teacher. Sometimes I worked alone, but often Mary and I did jobs together, and I learnt a lot from her about gardening and all the different plants.
Even though I was only there for a week, I managed to have a lot of fun too, going for sea swims, to a jazz concert, exploring Sligo town, hiking, and Mary even took me to her drawing class one day. If you have a vehicle you will be able to explore more of the beautiful countryside, but even without it there are lovely walks nearby.
All the meals were so healthy and delicious (sorry for not appreciating your mushrooms Adrian!), and I even got to try Adrian’s home brewed beer, cider and apple brandy - 10/10!! I’m very interested in Irish culture and we had some great discussions about history, music, films, as well as some evenings singing Irish folk songs and tasting Irish whiskies.
I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and I would recommend it to everyone - thank you so much Mary and Adrian, I will be back!
Miranda is a gem . She worked hard while with us for a week and just tore into each job with enthusiasm and gusto. I was delighted with the help she gave me with weeding, clearing hogweed and clearing and tidying up our driveway borders( no mean task). Miranda was great company and a joy to have in the house. She was very interested in learning… read more about Ireland and its culture and that made it easier for us. I would highly recommend her to other workawayer hosts. You would be lucky to have her.
We stayed one week at Mary and Adrian's home and it was amazing! They are so kind and friendly!
And the area is beautiful (thank you for the tips).
We helped them in their garden, we winded, collected fallen leaves, helped them to peel apples, and each day one tiny plant to move :)
We exchanged about their culture, played some card games with them… read more and their son and they even invited us to a traditional Halloween night! We'll never forget that.
We also enjoyed the meals and scones of Mary, the chutney of Adrian and a lot of other tasting... :)
What a laugh !
Mary and Adrian could be fun, relax, singers, meditators, players, cookers, a wonderful mix.
Luna is so cute, and their cat as well "en ronronnant"...
Thank you so much for everything !
It was a pleasure to host Coralie and Olivier in our home. They are a delightful couple and always find the joy in every situation. They are both great workers and u was so delighted to get some of my plants moved ( on my list for a long time) , strumming, weeding and even my oven cleaned when we had a wet day. They applied themselves to each job… read more with care and attention and I am very grateful for all their help. They are both very easy to get on with and during the week they were with us I felt we got to know each other and had many lovely moments of connection. I would highly recommend them to other hosts.
I have a chance to spend 14 days with this wonderfull family. Mary and Adrien are reallly kind and wonderfull people,we also shared lot of laugh together. Work was never too hard,I work in a garden most of a days and I had also chance to made apple juice with their friends and neigbours and ot was really fun.
Food was really tasty, mostly… read more vegetarian and Mary is a great cook.
They took me everywhere with them so I had a chance to experience true irish kindness and welcoming personality.
We were swimming in the ocean which is really close, we visited nice concert od traditional music and I was in singing lesson too!
It was one of the best experience of my life and I reaaly would love to come back someday because I really fell in love with Ireland and I felt like at home.
I wish you all the best and thank you very much for eberything!
Adrian and I hosted Veronica for 10 days in September and it was a great experience from start to finish. Veronika is full of joy and fun and we had many laughs together. I found her interesting and enjoyed listening to her experiences and views on life. She did good work in the garden helping with clearing veg beds and covering them up for the… read more winter, a lot of weeding and was a tremendous help during our apple harvesting and juicing day. I would definitely recommend her to future hosts as being reliable, trustworthy and good fun!
I’m so grateful to have stayed with Mary and Adrian as my first Workaway experience! They are incredibly warm, generous and interesting people, who welcomed me wholeheartedly into their home and gave me a week of wonderful memories.
Their house is an amazing place which they have done so much work to over the years; in particular I loved the view… read more from the back windows over the mountain… really magical to drink a coffee with that view!
I enjoyed the physical demands of the work as it was so different from my normal routine as a teacher. Sometimes I worked alone, but often Mary and I did jobs together, and I learnt a lot from her about gardening and all the different plants.
Even though I was only there for a week, I managed to have a lot of fun too, going for sea swims, to a jazz concert, exploring Sligo town, hiking, and Mary even took me to her drawing class one day. If you have a vehicle you will be able to explore more of the beautiful countryside, but even without it there are lovely walks nearby.
All the meals were so healthy and delicious (sorry for not appreciating your mushrooms Adrian!), and I even got to try Adrian’s home brewed beer, cider and apple brandy - 10/10!! I’m very interested in Irish culture and we had some great discussions about history, music, films, as well as some evenings singing Irish folk songs and tasting Irish whiskies.
I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and I would recommend it to everyone - thank you so much Mary and Adrian, I will be back!
Miranda is a gem . She worked hard while with us for a week and just tore into each job with enthusiasm and gusto. I was delighted with the help she gave me with weeding, clearing hogweed and clearing and tidying up our driveway borders( no mean task). Miranda was great company and a joy to have in the house. She was very interested in learning… read more about Ireland and its culture and that made it easier for us. I would highly recommend her to other workawayer hosts. You would be lucky to have her.
(Excellent)
3 Jun 2025
Left by Workawayer (Francesco Lorenzo & Aurora) for host
We stayed at Mary and Adrian's house for 4 weeks in May and our experience was simply magical.
Mary and Adrian are wonderful people: they love their life and culture, they're eager to share all their knowledge and experience.
We learned a lot about plants and how to keep the garden running, including the tunnel where vegetables are grown.
Mary is… read more an extraordinary cook, we tasted delicious meals and learned a lot of new recipes, often using what the garden gifted us .
Adrian has some really interesting hobbies, including brewing and beekeeping, that he kindly share with us.
The place is full of love, peace, care and gratitude.
The jobs we had during our stay were of different kinds, going from gardening to general maintenance around the property, but we were always treated with a lot of kindness and we had plenty of time to explore and enjoy nature.
We were able to experience a lot of the city and the countryside of Sligo (we will never forget about early morning swimming in the ocean or the Saturday country market).
We can't forget about the time spent with Luna the sheep, Mittens the cat and all the hens, they were always full of love and surprises.
In the end we can easily say that encounters like this change your life for better.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
2 Jun 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Francesco Lorenzo & Aurora)
Francesco and Aurora are a hardworking and diligent couple. They learned quickly and took to each job with gusto especially the painting jobs that they undertook. Our garden is definitely in the better for them hav ring been here! They also looked after or house, garden and animals while we were on holidays for 11 days which they did to a high… read more standard. It was great to feel we could trust them and know that everything would be well looked after. A gift for us. I would definitely recommend them for other workawayer positions.
(Excellent)
20 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Marie-Luise) for host
My stay with Mary and Adrian was simply wonderful. They have a beautiful house and garden with mesmerizing views of the surrounding mountains. I felt very comfortable there during my whole stay. I learned a lot from Mary while working with her in the garden. We prepared the beds for the winter, tidied up, collected sea weed, raked leaves, picked… read more apples and tomatoes and planted garlic and onions. Mary cooks delicious food and I enjoyed every conversation I had with her and Adrian. They also invite you along to the activities that they do (my favorite was going to the theatre in Sligo) and make sure that you feel comfortable and happy. I highly recommend this Workaway!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
18 Nov 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Marie-Luise)
It was great to have Marie stay with us for two weeks in November. We worked alongside each other for the majority of the time and got a lot done, from putting the outside veg beds to rest for the winter, raking and prepping leaf mould, emptying compost areas and tidying up and clearing in the polytunnel. Marie has a beautiful presence and very… read more easy to be around. I value the many different conversations we had and she showed an interest in life and others in general that was a breath of fresh air. I would highly recommend her to any host
(Excellent)
11 Oct 2024
Left by Workawayer (Tim) for host
I had a great experience in Mary and Adrian’s lovely home. I was staying for 2 weeks and mainly helped with tasks in the garden like chopping wood, clearing and wheeding, digging, setting up fences and helping with producing the apple juice for Cider and Vinegar. Of course the work was more physically compared to my usual office job, but it was… read more very calming because I was staying outside the whole day. In total the work is not too hard and Mary and Adrian always made sure to have a coffee break and lunchtime.
Unfortunately I had to go home for the weekend for unexpected personal reasons, but they were very understanding and gave me a lift to Sligo very early in the morning and picked me up again. Mary and Adrian made it really easy to feel at home in this cozy house with a wonderful view over the fields to the mountains. They are very active people with lots of interests, but at the same time know how to enjoy the moment. Mary is a wonderful and creative cook and serves healthy fresh food from the garden, lovely selfmade bread and scones and fermented treats. Adrian is a very talented cider-maker, beer-brewer and kefir-maker. They took me to the nearby beach for morning- or full moon swims and it was nice to take part of their activities.
I will definitely come back for a visit, when I’ll be back in Ireland. Thank you for this great experience.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
5 Oct 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Tim)
We had a really lovely two weeks with Tim. He arrived and got stuck into work straight away as he had to take a long weekend to return to Germany for personal reasons and was keen to make up the hours he would be missing which I found both thoughtful and very respectful.
Due to an unforeseen amount of wood that needed chopping, Tim spent the… read more first week chopping and stacking wood for us until he had worked through the large pile. He also did a lot of clearing work and helped to recover areas with wood chips. He made me a raised bed for my strawberries which I am delighted with and gave us a huge helping hand with our apple day which involved prepping and juicing large quantities of apples , some of which he had picked from the orchard.
I admired his approach to work as he took the challenge and did it to the best of his ability.
Tim had a lovely gentle presence in the house and was both respectful and interactive at the same time.
I feel we parted as friends and it will be a pleasure to welcome him when he returns to visit.
(Excellent)
12 Aug 2024
Left by Workawayer (Nadine) for host
Mary & Adrian, thank you so much for the wonderful time at your place. I felt very comfortable and welcome right from the start. The room I was allowed to live in is totally cosy and the house and garden are beautiful. There is so much to discover. Plants & flowers, a little forest, a polytunnel and a vegetable garden full of fruit & vegetables as… read more well as adorable animals. I really enjoyed working in the garden and learnt a lot. Mary always made sure that the work was varied and not too exhausting and that we took enough breaks (with delicious coffee/tea & snacks and nice conversations). I also enjoyed spending time with the animals, feeding them and giving them cuddles. I was lucky enough to go hiking with Mary, she took me to a meditation group session and for morning swims in the sea, all of which I really enjoyed. Mary is a fantastic cook, I miss the delicious meals. I was allowed to use a bike to explore the area, which was wonderful. Mary was an inspiration for me in so many ways and Adrian - he is such a genius in doing things by himself like brewing beer, making cider, honey, kefir and chutneys. It was a delight to have the opportunity to try some of these delicious homemade things. Both Mary & Adrian are so lovely and welcoming and very interested in the welfare of others. It was a pleasure to meet them and I hope we will see us again sometime. I miss them & Ireland a lot. All the best for you & the animals!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
5 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Nadine)
It was a great experience to meet Nadine and have her stay with us for two weeks. During that time Nadine worked very hard in the garden , cutting hogweed, weeding veg garden and driveway beds and weeding my patio which still looks devine! Nadine also took charge of our hens, feeding and watering and also checked in on the other animals daily. It… read more was beautiful to witness how present she was with them. Nadine also gave great help in picking blackcurrants and figs. She slotted in really easily to our home life and entered into each task with enthusiasm. She has a great, positive energy and so it was a delight to be around her. I very much enjoyed our morning swims together . I can highly recommend her.
(Excellent)
5 Jul 2024
Left by Workawayer (Matthew) for host
I had an amazing 8 nights at Mary and Adrian's farm. They are incredibly welcoming and hospitable. They were so kind and generous and I really appreciate my time with them. It was a pleasure helping out with the gardening and landscaping tasks as well as some animal caretaking.
I really appreciate the trips to the beach with them as well as the… read more amazing home cooked meals, and the surrounding area was so beautiful and perfect for long relaxing walks. It was an excellent experience and would highly recommend them as Workaway hosts.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
29 Jun 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Matthew)
Matt stayed with us for eight days and helped us a lot with hedge clipping, digging up and cutting hogweed and strimming work. He entered into each task enthusiastically and completed each to a high standard.
We are very grateful that he looked after our animals which included injecting our cat with insulin , while we were away for one night… read more attending our daughter’s graduation. Nothing was a problem.
We enjoyed Matts company, his stories of the states and other travels, an interesting and interested guy.
Matt had a non intrusive presence while at the same time being very present, a rare gift. We enjoyed our time with him a lot.
(Excellent)
28 May 2024
Left by Workawayer (Gioele) for host
I stayed with Mary and Adrian for only 2 weeks, but I must say I had a very good time. The work I did was interesting, different from what I had done until then. I worked in the polytunnel and also in the outdoor garden. The place is beautiful and if you love to go for some nice walks you have a lot of free time. They are very willing to give you… read more rides and often offer you outings together to go to the beach or to some event. The work is not hard and the room available is beautiful. They are very nice and follow a very healthy lifestyle, it is nice to change habits and have new experiences. One of the best experiences I had :)
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
19 Apr 2024
Left by Workawayer (Léa & Arthur) for host
We had a wonderful two and a half week stay with Mary and Adrian. They are both very nice people and love to chat. They took a great interest in us and we had some very interesting discussions.
Mary is an excellent cook and we had the pleasure of tasting her dishes.
The house is very pleasant, with a superb view of the mountains!
We also had… read more the pleasure of interacting with their various animals (goats, sheep and cats).
Mary also recommended many places to visit around Sligo, which is full of beautiful walks and landscapes.
Concerning the work, we did small gardening jobs and the work was adaptable depending on the weather and our abilities.
Our stay with Mary and Adrian was fantastic, we can only recommend!😇
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
4 Mar 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Léa & Arthur)
Léa and Arthur stayed with us for just over two weeks and it was truly a great experience. They are both kind, considerate, funny, interested and hard working individuals.
They both brought a lovely energy to both our home and garden. They are relaxed and easy going and no task was a problem to them as they faced everything with a positive… read more attitude.
Léa and Arthur did amazing work for us, cutting hedges, chipping branches, building a raised bed, building a new door for the polytunnel, fencing work for the animals and general tidyjng, pruning and clipping back in a flower bed.
We really enjoyed our time with them. It was a great exchange and we feel both lucky and grateful to have had them stay with us. They are a delight!
Kaori stayed with us four weeks in all during Nov and Dec. It was a great exchange!
Kaori helped a lot in the garden with weeding, rebuilding our compost heap, pruning, animal care and putting the veg beds to rest for the winter. It was great for me as Kaori was so experienced in the garden that she could work independently and everything she did… read more was done to the highest standard. It is obvious that she had experience and also an affinity with nature. Nothing was a problem.
Kaori was very respectful of boundaries which I appreciated. She slotted in to our family life very quickly and was a gentle presence.
We got to sample some of her beautiful Japanese cooking! How lucky was that! And had some interesting conversations about food, a shared passion.
I was particularly grateful to kaori as during her last week with us I had a broken toe and she was such a help in seeping things ticking over during that time.
It will be lovely if our paths cross again.
I was so lucky to be hosted by such a lovely family.
I stayed total 4 weeks at Mary's house (3 weeks in Oct/Nov and then came back in Dec and stayed another week!). Mary and Adrian are very friendly, easy going, and fun people. They welcomed me warmly and made me feel at ease right away from the first day.
I helped with gardening such as weeding,… read more pruning, planting and cleaning the animals' hutches.
I had a lot of fun rebuilding the compost together even though we had a lot of interruptions along the way due to the unreadable weather. We were great team!
The work was never rushed, no pressure, and they always came to call me for a break and I had good coffee looking the wonderful view you can see from their cosy house!
I really enjoyed various activities and places they took me, morning swimming in the sea, forrest and coastal walking, local market, and especially the singing community that Adrian invited me to join!!
Roisin and Naoise, their children usually comes home in weekend so I could spend some time with them too. We were all looking for mushrooms in the rain one day and I have fond memories of it.
Mary is a great cook and I had similar tastes in food with her so I loved her healthy meals with vegetables from their garden and homemade sourdough which I learned a lot. Roisin also has great sense of cooking and baking, her vegan treats are so yummy!!
Their animals are all friendly and cute, especially Gingy, he is just sweet and the most an adorable cat I've ever met.
My 4 weeks there flew by and the time I spent with this family could not have been more peaceful and happy!
Mary, listening you singing along to Adrian's guitar was so wonderful. I hope we can all go to karaoke together someday!
Adrian, I loved tasting your special apple cider and beers. As a fermentation fanatic, I am sure you will love the sake.
Roisin, I enjoyed talking about our mutual vegan baking experiences. Also, thank you for cutting my hair!
Naoise, I was surprised and happy that you knew my most favorite Japanese anime!! I look forward to getting in the sauna next time.
Thank you so much for happiest days.
I'm sure I will come back to see you guys again!!!
Big Love♡
(Excellent)
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Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
