Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
9 Sep 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 4 days
Feedback
17
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
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!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
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.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (9)
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
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
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
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:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
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
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
Due to an unforeseen amount of wood that needed chopping, Tim spent the… read more
I really appreciate the trips to the beach with them as well as the… read more
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
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
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
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
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
