Help renovating a historical cottage in Thurles, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  My name is Daisy. I'm am currently rennovating a traditional Irish cottage for my self and my five yr old son, Cathal to live in. Cathal was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic in late 2021 and so we wanted to get the house done as quickly as possible but unfortunately we ended up with a cowboy builder so half of the budget has been blown on massively substandard work. I am therefore going to have to do a lot of manual work on the cottage myself, including traditional lime rendering and flagstone floors, keeping in mind the history of the building and using methods which are sympathetic to its stone construction. There will be carpenters, electricians and plumbers working on site at certain points also so there would be an opportunity to learn from these trades. Our cottage is situated in rural Tipperary on a small farm with cows, horses, dogs, cats, pigs and chickens.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The cottage is dated pre 1842 so I have done a lot of research on appropriate methods to retain it's integrity as much as possible, whilst allowing for modern living, however, I will be learning on the job so would be happy to either take on board someone's expertise, or to work with someone who is willing to learn with me. This is an original stone built Irish cottage of which there are very few remaining as most have been knocked or left to fall. They are a huge part of Irish history and by carrying out this project, I hope that I, and whomever joins me, cam learn a lot about the ancient buildings methods used and how best to preserve them using traditional materials. We are also very lucky to live in an area where there are lots of opportunities to experience and learn a lot of elements of Irish culture. There are multiple classes in spoken Irish language, traditional musical instruments, Irish dance...there are regular traditional music sessions in local pubs and bru boru which is quite local to us, puts on wonderful shows, similar to Riverdance. I am very happy to transport people to any of these classes, shows, heritage sites or anything else of Irish culture they wish to experience or learn. I would be very happy to learn about your culture also, the history of your country, language and anything else you wish to share. Anyone who joins us will be treated as part of the family and we would hope to make lasting friendships.

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  Help

  Manual labor including stripping cement based render from walls and replacing with lime based render, digging up and removing old concrete floors, providing assistance to tradesmen onsite and hopefully some fencing and tidying up of the garden and yard once work is completed.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  Accomodation at the moment would be a large tent on the lawn so very close to water and power connections. We will be living in a mobile home onsite so very happy to provide all meals, use of shower etc. We will hopefully soon have access to a campervan to keep onsite also. There are several out buildings if storage were required
  
  All of our meals are home cooked and traditional for the most part. I would also be happy to take onboard your input and try out any recipes you might like from your own culture.

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  What else ...

  We live in an area steeped in history, surrounded by historical sites with fascinating stories. We are close to the rock of cashel, coolmore stud, multiple battle sites, old coal mines, dairy farms, cheese makers, fruit farms, castles, museums to name a few. The local village has shops, pubs, post office and church, along with a bus service to bigger towns. We are in a very good position to visit cork, Kilkenny, Limerick, Dublin as we are quite close to train station etc. I would be very happy to show someone around the local historical sites or to drop to the train station etc.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have a forty acre farm so plenty of room for parking

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week