We are looking for volunteers for a two week period during October 2026. Please note we are only interested in a couple or two friends, preferably 22 yrs and above.
Hi! We are Matthew and Eliza and we are an Irish couple living on a small family homestead in a beautiful rural setting about 30 minutes south of Limerick city and 5 km from the nearest village. Both Matthew and I in the past have lived and worked in New York and France and continue to travel when we can. We currently both have jobs off the homestead but since Covid Matthew has been able to work from home and I work in Limerick 3 days of the week and from home on the others.
Our homestead includes an organic vegetable garden, chickens and recently two beehives. Around the house there are a number of vegetable and flower beds, a polytunnel, an orchard, beehives and lots of poultry. Also three dogs (a black labrador and two terriers) who live in the house with us.
The type of help we are looking for is the following: weeding, tending to the vegetable and flower beds, clearing wood and brush in the orchard, strimming and lawn mowing.
Volunteers stay in our house with us and get much opportunity for cultural exchange. Matthew and I are keen cooks and we will all prepare and eat meals together. We really enjoy when volunteers introduce us to recipes from their home country.
Please note we are not a business .
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Culture
Charity work
Plant care
Music
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Books
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Hiking
Fitness
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
You will visit and explore a beautiful rural and untouristy part of Ireland that is off the beaten track. We live near Lough Gur, a beautiful lake, and also very close to the Grange stone circle which is the largest in Ireland.
You can learn how to grow and look after vegetables, hens and dogs. You can improve your English (I spent 8 years hosting students in my home and teaching them English). As we all like to cook, you will learn new recipes (both Irish and other).
We can provide lifts to the bus stop and also into Limerick. Lots of advice on interesting and beautiful parts of Ireland to see. I am a qualified English language teacher so will readily during the course of your time here provide tips about the language if desired.
Help
Please note: We are only interested in a couple or two friends.
General help including tidying and weeding the vegetable garden, making compost, lawn mowing; strimming along fence lines, weeding gravel area.
Clearing brush growth; removing ivy from trees; pruning. Splitting and stacking wood.
Occasional house-sitting, including the feeding of dogs and chickens.
In bad weather there is some light housework.
Helping out with cooking the evening meal is always most welcome.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Accommodation
We provide a bright comfortable double bedroom with private bathroom in our house. We ask that all workaways leave the room as they find it please.
With regard to meals, workaways have full access to our kitchen and food to make breakfast and lunch. We tend to all eat together in the evening and help is much appreciated with this. Both Matthew and I love to cook nutritious healthy meals.
What else ...
Visit and go for walks around Lough Gur, a beautiful lake, Grange Stone Circle, Limerick city, the Cliffs of Moher (1.5 hours away). Watch a local hurling match. On Saturdays there is a wonderful food market in Limerick.
We are used to having people stay in our house as we have had helpers before as well as many language students. We are a relaxed family and welcome visitors as part of our family. I believe all who stay here leave with a very positive view of Ireland and this part of the country. Please note we are only interested in workawayers over 22 years of age and above.
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
My animals / pets
Bertie
Parson’s Jack Russell. 2.5 yrs old. V independent, a real character.
Billy
Billy is a Jack Russell terrier, 4 years old.
Buster
Buster is a 10 year old Labrador. Delightful and friendly.
We were delighted to spend 10 days working at Eliza and Matthew’s place! They are a lovely couple who are kind and very considerate towards their volunteers. We received a warm welcome and they always made sure we had everything we needed. The working hours were flexible, and we were able to enjoy lovely walks in the surrounding area during our… read more free time.
Our main tasks included weeding, mowing the lawn, cleaning the glass roof, looking after the dogs over a weekend, and creating a mulch bed to protect the new hedges on their field. We were in good company, surrounded by their three lovely dogs, their twenty or so guinea fowl, and their hens.
Their house is very large and comfortable. We had a superb, cosy bedroom to rest in after our working days, complete with its own en-suite bathroom. We prepared quick meals for lunch and dinner, whilst Eliza and Matthew treated us to delicious, hearty and flavourful dishes! We shared these moments together at the table, enjoying very enriching conversations. It was a wonderful experience for us in this lovely home and we loved helping our hosts with their daily tasks.
We were so delighted to host Quentin and Paola for the last ten days. They are excellent volunteers, extremely respectful and hardworking. They helped out with mowing the lawn, weeding, mulching a new hedge, collecting wood, and helping out alot with our three dogs. They were very quick learners and fastidious.
We recommend them both without… read more hesitation.
We spent three weeks with Eliza and Matthew, and the experience couldn’t have been better. From the very first day, they welcomed us with warmth and made us feel at home, like part of their family. They are generous, thoughtful people with big hearts, and they truly enjoy taking care of their guests.
Honestly, the most valuable part of this… read more experience was them, their company, their conversations, the way they share and make you feel comfortable. They were very thoughtful and occasionally took us along to discover the surroundings, something we really appreciated. It was a real pleasure to spend time with them.
And of course, we can’t forget their three adorable dogs, each with a very special and unique personality. We became very fond of them, and they were definitely part of the good times we had.
As for the food, it was simply amazing! We tried many new dishes, and each one was better than the last. They cook with so much love and care, and it really shows. Sharing meals with them was not just delicious, but also one of the things we enjoyed the most during our stay.
The tasks were varied: using the strimmer, preparing garden beds, removing weeds, carrying firewood, among others. Everything is done in a calm, pressure-free environment, and you always feel that your help is genuinely appreciated. Eliza and Matthew are very thankful and always find ways to show their appreciation and make you feel valued.
We truly recommend this experience from the bottom of our hearts. If you’re looking for something meaningful, a place where you’ll be welcomed and appreciated, and a chance to connect with wonderful people, this is the place.
Pablo and Noelia are a delightful young couple and my husband Matthew and I thoroughly enjoyed having them stay in our house for the past three weeks. They are both extremely hard working and energetic, and they carried out all their tasks meticulously. During their time with us, they helped with weeding in the garden and polytunnel, watering… read more vegetables and plants, mowing the lawn, strimming, moving wood, tidying paths, walking and minding our three dogs as well as tending to our many chickens.
Pablo and Noelia are lovely people, both mature and interesting, and fitted in very easily to our daily lives.
They are also excellent cooks and we were treated to a number of wonderful Spanish dishes, including the best Spanish omelettes ever!
We recommend them both without hesitation.
(Excellent
)
9 Sep 2024
Left by Workawayer (Samantha) for host
I cannot overstate how wonderful it was staying with Eliza and Matthew (and even their daughter Molly for a bit). We immediately felt at home (perhaps thanks to the guinea fowls) and were completely at ease in their beautiful home. As a family, they are incredibly interesting, easy-going, funny, and most importantly, all amazing cooks. Every… read more dinner was exceptional, and if Molly is around, be sure to ask for the walnut ice cream!
The room in the house is very comfortable with its own bathroom and offers a great view of the fields! The work was as advertised, consisting of weeding, strimming, and splitting wood, and the 4-5 hour workday was respected. Some of the tasks, like splitting wood and strimming, were quite physical, which we enjoyed!
When you're not feasting, working, or playing with the three stooges (their very playful dogs—Bertie, Buster, and Billy), there's plenty to explore around the area. Lough Gur is great and also surrounded by historical significance. There's a market gardener, Kevin, renting part of the property who also uses workawayers, and they were great fun. Adam, who is there full-time, was happy to include us in their excursions. You're also only 40 minutes from Limerick, making it easy to access just about anywhere in the country.
We were sad to leave, but it was a fantastic experience filled with learning, especially in gardening skills, history, and random fun facts from Matthew!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent
)
8 Sep 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Samantha)
Sammy and Dino are excellent Workaways, and I have to say that I can echo everything said in the previous review. They are both very mature for their ages, efficient organised workers and no job was ever too difficult. If ever uncertain about a task, they asked questions to clarify. While here, they helped us with splitting and loading wood,… read more strimming, weeding and tidying the vegetable patch, in the polytunnel and other areas and collecting seaweed. And, they really helped me with sort out a number of my computer problems (they're both computer whizzes!).
They are both great company and we had so many interesting discussions with them about South Africa and their many other travels. They lived in our house with us and were very easy to have around.
Without reservation, I highly recommend them! Thank you both so much for all your hard work. I hope our paths cross again one day.
We were delighted to spend 10 days working at Eliza and Matthew’s place! They are a lovely couple who are kind and very considerate towards their volunteers. We received a warm welcome and they always made sure we had everything we needed. The working hours were flexible, and we were able to enjoy lovely walks in the surrounding area during our… read more free time.
Our main tasks included weeding, mowing the lawn, cleaning the glass roof, looking after the dogs over a weekend, and creating a mulch bed to protect the new hedges on their field. We were in good company, surrounded by their three lovely dogs, their twenty or so guinea fowl, and their hens.
Their house is very large and comfortable. We had a superb, cosy bedroom to rest in after our working days, complete with its own en-suite bathroom. We prepared quick meals for lunch and dinner, whilst Eliza and Matthew treated us to delicious, hearty and flavourful dishes! We shared these moments together at the table, enjoying very enriching conversations. It was a wonderful experience for us in this lovely home and we loved helping our hosts with their daily tasks.
We were so delighted to host Quentin and Paola for the last ten days. They are excellent volunteers, extremely respectful and hardworking. They helped out with mowing the lawn, weeding, mulching a new hedge, collecting wood, and helping out alot with our three dogs. They were very quick learners and fastidious.
We recommend them both without… read more hesitation.
We spent three weeks with Eliza and Matthew, and the experience couldn’t have been better. From the very first day, they welcomed us with warmth and made us feel at home, like part of their family. They are generous, thoughtful people with big hearts, and they truly enjoy taking care of their guests.
Honestly, the most valuable part of this… read more experience was them, their company, their conversations, the way they share and make you feel comfortable. They were very thoughtful and occasionally took us along to discover the surroundings, something we really appreciated. It was a real pleasure to spend time with them.
And of course, we can’t forget their three adorable dogs, each with a very special and unique personality. We became very fond of them, and they were definitely part of the good times we had.
As for the food, it was simply amazing! We tried many new dishes, and each one was better than the last. They cook with so much love and care, and it really shows. Sharing meals with them was not just delicious, but also one of the things we enjoyed the most during our stay.
The tasks were varied: using the strimmer, preparing garden beds, removing weeds, carrying firewood, among others. Everything is done in a calm, pressure-free environment, and you always feel that your help is genuinely appreciated. Eliza and Matthew are very thankful and always find ways to show their appreciation and make you feel valued.
We truly recommend this experience from the bottom of our hearts. If you’re looking for something meaningful, a place where you’ll be welcomed and appreciated, and a chance to connect with wonderful people, this is the place.
Pablo and Noelia are a delightful young couple and my husband Matthew and I thoroughly enjoyed having them stay in our house for the past three weeks. They are both extremely hard working and energetic, and they carried out all their tasks meticulously. During their time with us, they helped with weeding in the garden and polytunnel, watering… read more vegetables and plants, mowing the lawn, strimming, moving wood, tidying paths, walking and minding our three dogs as well as tending to our many chickens.
Pablo and Noelia are lovely people, both mature and interesting, and fitted in very easily to our daily lives.
They are also excellent cooks and we were treated to a number of wonderful Spanish dishes, including the best Spanish omelettes ever!
We recommend them both without hesitation.
(Excellent)
9 Sep 2024
Left by Workawayer (Samantha) for host
I cannot overstate how wonderful it was staying with Eliza and Matthew (and even their daughter Molly for a bit). We immediately felt at home (perhaps thanks to the guinea fowls) and were completely at ease in their beautiful home. As a family, they are incredibly interesting, easy-going, funny, and most importantly, all amazing cooks. Every… read more dinner was exceptional, and if Molly is around, be sure to ask for the walnut ice cream!
The room in the house is very comfortable with its own bathroom and offers a great view of the fields! The work was as advertised, consisting of weeding, strimming, and splitting wood, and the 4-5 hour workday was respected. Some of the tasks, like splitting wood and strimming, were quite physical, which we enjoyed!
When you're not feasting, working, or playing with the three stooges (their very playful dogs—Bertie, Buster, and Billy), there's plenty to explore around the area. Lough Gur is great and also surrounded by historical significance. There's a market gardener, Kevin, renting part of the property who also uses workawayers, and they were great fun. Adam, who is there full-time, was happy to include us in their excursions. You're also only 40 minutes from Limerick, making it easy to access just about anywhere in the country.
We were sad to leave, but it was a fantastic experience filled with learning, especially in gardening skills, history, and random fun facts from Matthew!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
8 Sep 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Samantha)
Sammy and Dino are excellent Workaways, and I have to say that I can echo everything said in the previous review. They are both very mature for their ages, efficient organised workers and no job was ever too difficult. If ever uncertain about a task, they asked questions to clarify. While here, they helped us with splitting and loading wood,… read more strimming, weeding and tidying the vegetable patch, in the polytunnel and other areas and collecting seaweed. And, they really helped me with sort out a number of my computer problems (they're both computer whizzes!).
They are both great company and we had so many interesting discussions with them about South Africa and their many other travels. They lived in our house with us and were very easy to have around.
Without reservation, I highly recommend them! Thank you both so much for all your hard work. I hope our paths cross again one day.
(Excellent)
23 Aug 2024
Left by Workawayer (Miriam) for host
My friend Silvia and I enjoyed our first workaway with Matthew and Eliza and I have to say that we were really really lucky!! They are wonderful cooks …Every single dish was delicious. They are also a wonderful couple. Always open and kind. They helped us improving our english and sometimes we taught them some italian words and also italian habit…… read more like “scarpetta”, and we made them tasting italian pizza home-Made!!
Working hours were flexible. We had jobs like weeding, pruning, cleaning windows, painting. Nothing too hard. We felt in love with their dogs (Billie I Miss you!! But also Bertie and Buster) We had the pleasure to know their daughter Mollie.
They also have a piano and during my free time I practiced piano with online lessons.
I definitely recommend them as hosts and I will come back for sure!!
(Excellent)
6 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Miriam)
I can't say enough good things about Miriam. She is an excellent worker, full of energy and very good humor! She and her friend Sylvia spent two weeks with us and carried out a variety of tasks in the garden and fields including weeding, tidying up shrubs, pruning pear trees, painting garden tables, cleaning windows and last but not least treating… read more us to delicious home-cooked Italian meals! Their standard of work was impeccable.
Miriam is 100 percent reliable, very organized and was at all times a good communicator, always checking with us if she wasn't sure about something. She and Sylvia whiled away a number of evenings at our piano, Miriam played and Sylvia sang. It was a joy to hear them!
We miss them and hope they will return to visit us again one day!
(Excellent)
8 Aug 2024
Left by Workawayer (Silvia) for host
My friend Miriam and I spent two wonderful weeks with Matthew and Eliza in the beautiful Irish countryside. It was our first workaway and we couldn't have chosen better hosts. They were both so generous, attentive and immediately made us feel at home. Working hours were flexible, and work was varied and never too hard (weeding, pruning, cleaning… read more windows, painting). We loved getting to know their daughter Mollie and playing with their three lovely dogs! Matthew and Eliza are both incredible cooks and gardeners, and taught us so much about their culture and growing your own veggies. I definitely recommend them as hosts and will miss our long conversations around the table!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
6 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Silvia)
I can't say enough good things about Sylvia. She is an excellent worker, full of energy and very good humor! She and her friend Miriam spent two weeks with us and carried out a variety of tasks in the garden and fields including weeding, tidying up shrubs, pruning pear trees, painting garden tables, cleaning windows and last but not least treating… read more us to delicious home-cooked Italian meals! Their standard of work was impeccable.
Sylvia is 100 percent reliable, very organized and was at all times a good communicator, always checking with us if she wasn't sure about something. She and Miriam whiled away a number of evenings at our piano, Miriam played and Sylvia sang. It was a joy to hear them!
We miss them and hope they will return to visit us again one day!
(Excellent)
6 Nov 2023
Left by Workawayer (Nik) for host
I stayed for three weeks at Eliza´s and Matthew´s place in October and I felt welcomed from the first day. They were very nice people, who took good care of me. They also took me everywhere, when I asked them, so I could explore the area. Furthermore they cook very delicious meals and they helped me to improve my English. During my time I did a… read more lot of painting inside, but also different tasks outside like weeding or wood cutting.
In general I really liked my time with Eliza and Matthew and can only say thank you for your hospitality!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
1 Sep 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Lena & Alexandre)
I can't say enough good things about Lena and Alex. They spent two weeks with us in July and helped out with a variety of tasks, all of which they completed to perfection. Most of the tasks were in the garden - weeding and strimming, but on rainy days, they helped out in the house. They treated us to a number of memorable meals (and cakes!) and… read more played endless games with our three dogs. They both had a high level of English and were eager to develop their vocabulary. Furthermore they are a delightful couple and we had many interesting conversations around the table in the evening. I recommend them both without hesitation and would have them back here any time in the future.
(Excellent)
2 Aug 2023
Left by Workawayer (Lena & Alexandre) for host
We spent two great weeks with Matthew and Eliza. The house is lovely. They cook delicious meals. We learnt a lot about Irish way of life and English language. It was really nice to talk to them. Eliza and Matthew are very welcoming and we felt at ease. They were patient and attentive. The work was interesting (mainly weeding and strimming but not… read more only). Thanks again for everything !
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
7 May 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Henrik)
Henrik stayed with us for the month of April and was one of the best workaways/volunteers we've had stay with us to date. He is a meticulous, thorough and hard worker. All tasks were completed to the highest standard. No job was too difficult, He also fitted in and adapted to our routines as needed at all times. He is a lovely and interesting guy… read more with a great attitude and v good sense of humour. We would welcome him back here anytime.
Matthew and I recommend Henrik without hesitation.
(Excellent)
5 May 2023
Left by Workawayer (Henrik) for host
I stayed with Eliza and Matthew for a month. I was warmly welcomed into the family. I felt very comfortable with you from day one. I was very lucky that both of you are good cooks and cook freshly every day. Often with their own fruit and vegetables from the garden.
Eliza is a good English teacher and was able to help me improve my English skills.… read more For that I am very grateful.
The work on site was mainly garden, wood and painting as mentioned in the description. The working hours can be divided flexibly, which I really liked. In your free time, you can go hiking on site or explore the area on longer bicycle tours. I also had a lot of fun with your three funny dogs.
So in conclusion I can only say that I had a very nice time
with Eliza and Mathew
and can recommend it to everyone.
I will gladly come again.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
23 Aug 2019
Left by Workawayer (Matteo & Nicoletta) for host
This was our first workaway experience and it couldn't be better. The family is really nice and we had a good time with them. Our accomodation was clean and comfortable. Our main jobs were weeding, strimming, planting, pruning and it wasn't hard at all. During the weekends we had the possibility of visiting amazing places near the house and… read more further; everybody was very helpful and they drived us every time we needed a lift. We had no difficulty with the language, also because Eliza is a good teacher, she speaks really clearly and she helped us improving our English correcting mistakes. She and her husband are very good cooks too, we tried meals of different cultures, and they gave us some amazing recipes. We were also delighted by her daughter's cakes.
We heartily recommend this family if you want to spend some time surrounded by nature.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
23 Aug 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Matteo & Nicoletta)
Nicoletta and Matteo were a delight to have stay in our house. They are both excellent and hard workers - no job was too difficult. They have very good English and we really enjoyed the traditional Italian meal they prepared for us one night. I have no hesitation in recommending them as workawayers.
(Excellent)
27 Jul 2019
Left by Workawayer (Václav & Jana) for host
This was our first workaway experience and it couldn't be better. We stayed at Eliza's for three weeks. Her and her family are so nice and caring people. It felt like home to spend time with them.
Eliza is also English teacher, so she helped us to improve our English.
They borrowed us bikes, so we could do weekend trip to some interesting places… read more around.
When we're renting car for another weekend, Eliza helped us as much as she could to make the rental easier for us.
I would recommend them as a hosts to everyone. We just couldn't ask for better experience in Ireland.
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
26 Jul 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Václav & Jana)
We were SO lucky to meet Jana & Vaclav and have them stay and work with us for 3 weeks. They are both incredibly hard and efficient workers; no job was too much for them. They helped in the garden, in the house; cleared out an old derelict building; did lots of strimming, walked the dogs and minded the house and all our animals when I went to… read more Dublin for the day.
They are also both really lovely interesting people; polite, considerate, responsible and tidy and they both speak very good english. A highlight was when they cooked us a delicious traditional Czech meal!
My husband and I would recommend them without hesitation.
(Excellent)
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Language practice
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Culture
Charity work
Plant care
Music
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Books
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Hiking
Fitness
