Help with our animals and garden on our vegan, organic smallholding in rural Ireland

Details

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  Description

  Hi, we are Patricia and Aidan and we have two adult children living in Dublin. We moved back to Ireland from France, just before Covid, to a remote traditional cottage in the West. We have three cats, a cockerel who sleeps in the bathroom, a huge gentle pyrénéen mountain dog mix called Marius and crazy Snoopy who is half Newfoundland and half springer. And if that wasn't enough, we now have a Border Collie puppy. You must really love animals, especially big dogs! And not be afraid of muck! Walking the dogs, grooming and playing with them is a big part of this workaway experience.
  
  We are all vegan so no animal, fish or dairy products are permitted. We don't use chemicals, are very eco aware and our spiders stay where they are!
  
  We set up a small holding so there is lots of general garden work to do, building raised beds, cutting and trimming trees, clearing a small river, fencing, general repair work, preparation for next years growing. Help with the animals and, as mentioned, dog walking is essential so experience with dogs is important.
  
  Aidan works from home and isn't available to help as much as he would like, so help would be really appreciated.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We can help you with your English and introduce you to Irish culture. Also, explore organic vegetable growing and animal care. We cook a lot to we can explore vegan cuisine together and look at the philosophy behind veganism. It's also a very interesting area, once much more populated and with some interesting indicators of a culture long past.

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  Help

  Walking, grooming and playing with the dogs is essential so we would need someone who is comfortable with large dogs. General gardening like weeding, composting, building more raised beds and preparing them for planting, pruning and tidying, landscaping, clearing a small river that runs at the end of our field, painting, helping feed and care for the animals. We are very friendly and relaxed so the house is a bit mucky with the dogs and our cockerel living in the house. Plus we have an invasive plant that I really need help removing (it is edible but everywhere!!).
  
  We would, of course, expect you to partake in all the usual things for day to day communal living like helping with the tidying up, cooking, washing up etc. without having to be asked please.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  We have a studio just outside the house, with easy access to a shared bathroom (shared with us and the cockerel who is very sweet) in a restored outhouse.

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  What else ...

  Where we live in East Clare is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas in Ireland.
  
  Our area is teeming with life; full of birds, deer, foxes, and it is one of the last places in Ireland where pine martens are found. There are some lovely wild walks up behind the cottage across the blanket bog and through the forests.
  
  We are about half an hour from the amazing Lough Derg and Killaloe, where there is boating and walks and nice pubs. We are about an hour from the West Coast of Ireland with its amazing Cliffs of Moher and the wild atmospheric limestone landscape of The Burren. Most of the villages around us, especially Feakle, feature live Irish music regularly. We are 20minutes drive from the village of Scarriff which has lots of facilities and is also on the coast of Lough Derg. And it rains a lot 🙂.
  
  We are isolated, our cottage is 1km from the road and the nearest villages are about 4km away. It would be best if you could drive; then we can put you on our car insurance if you are over 25. Otherwise, we will have a bicycle at your disposal -- but be warned, the roads are narrow with high hedgerows so they are somewhat dangerous. We will bring you to the bus if necessary. The nearest big town is Limerick where there are buses to and from lots of areas around Ireland, including Dublin and Dublin Airport. We can pick you up from Limerick town or from Shannon Airport.

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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

  We have two sources of internet at the house

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  Space for parking camper vans

  small van

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day

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