Barry

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Would be cool to have a patient, French travel companion to speak more French with! Also someone to chat about music, art.

Description

Bonjour! My name is Barry, I am from the North of Ireland and I am keen for some work and travel! I am a market gardener, nature lover, fiddle player, DJ and organic food advocate currently travelling around the south of France.

I had a previous life as an orthodontist for 9 years. After an attempt to start a waste food cafe in Belfast 7 years ago, I became hugely interested in food and the systems that produce it. I am on a bit of a journey to become part of the solution; help people reconnect with food and figure out how we can produce good, nutritious food in a way that sustains the soil, the climate, the human and wildlife populations as well as the livelihoods of those that produce it.

I am an open and honest person, interested in many things. I love being and working outside. I find people fascinating and really enjoy listening to their stories and no better way than to travel.

- What I can help with...
Helping families/communities/farmers grow their own food. Farm work, gardening, cooking, construction, teaching violin/fiddle. (more info in Experience section below)

- What I would like to learn...
I am looking for skills in building, woodwork, joinery, construction, plumbing, electrics, renewable energies, mechanics and would love to learn how to really store and process food well! Also French!...j'ai commencé à apprendre le français à mon arrivée donc j'aimerais parler et en apprendre plus avec mes hôtes!

My time to so far on this trip..
From March to August I was in West Cork working on an organic blueberry farm and also looking after Dexter cattle. I set up vegetable beds as well as looking after the kids, foraging and making lots of different things like kombucha, sourdough and all sorts of ice creams! I spent a few weeks at a flower farm which was an amazing learning experience, followed by a mixed organic farm where I did a lot of work in fencing and taking care of the polytunnel crops.

In France, since September I have worked on an olive farm for 6 weeks doing the whole harvest from start to finish as well as preparing the vegetable beds for next year, chopping down trees/making firewood and also constructing compost bays. I spent a few weeks with a lovely cook/artist learning lots of amazing recipes while doing plenty of hedge cutting, barn cleaning and pruning. Right now I am working on a market garden that grows avocados, bananas and all sorts of exotic fruit!

Here is my instagram is you would like to see what I am currently doing;

https://www.instagram.com/purerareorganics/

Interests

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

DIY and building projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

Helping around the house

Language practice

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Some knowledge of:  

General Maintenance

Animal Care

Art Projects

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Able to teach about:  

Gardening

Teaching

More details about your skills

My background is a little unorthodox! While still working part time in orthodontics, I decided to rent a 1 acre Victorian walled garden and start an organic market garden business. I did this for 3 years starting the first CSA (community supported agriculture) in N. Ireland and supplied the top restaurants in the city. I was a finalist in the Irish hospitality awards 'Supplier of the Year' in my first year. I felt it was time to start on my own land if I wanted to make the business viable without orthodontics but wasn't ready to settle so decided to put the business on hold and go travelling in January 2020. I passed the garden on to lovely people who have continued the CSA and the work we had done. From my time there, I grew a wide range of organic vegetables and flowers so have plenty of experience there.

I completed my RHS level 2 in Horticulture a few years ago so I have a decent level of knowledge on general gardening too. But even though I have experience, I am keen to learn from others and can happily take instruction. I would love to learn more on grafting, seed saving and fruit tree pruning/shaping.

I grew up on a farm and have a lot of experience with animals and machinery if needed. In my summers during university I was a labourer on building sites. But I would really like to become more adept at construction, woodwork, joinery, plumbing, electrical and mechanic skills.

My dentistry job was orthodontics and I specialised in treating those with special needs so am good with kids. I also used to teach fiddle/violin for years so if you have kids wanting to learn, I'd be more than happy to teach them.

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Irish: Intermediate
Arabic: Beginner
French: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I am really interested in improving my French!

Find a language buddy

Age

35

Nationality

Irish

What else ...

I am very independent and can easily take care of my own spare time. I grew up in a very musical house where everyone played music and sang so my hobbies are mainly music based.. I play Irish fiddle and used to DJ a lot. I would play anything from disco to African jazz!
I am kind of interested in everything and as I had ran the garden, I got into foraging and cooking. So weekends and evenings when I get a chance would be heading out with a friend who is a foraging expert and learning as much as I can about eating random stuff for free!
I am really into film/movies and although not an expert, I love art and theatre. Apart from music and film, I spend the rest of my time reading.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  no

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  Special dietary requirements
  very flexible, eat pretty much everything