Farming and Heritage Conservation Supporter

Ireland is a wonderful country; it is safe, friendly, English speaking, rich in heritage, history and culture. From vibrant, exciting cities to spectacular countryside – it’s a magical place to visit. It’s also a wonderful place to stay and immerse yourself doing meaningful volunteer work.

Project Highlights:

• Multicultural environment with a group of international volunteers
  
• Combination of rural and city environment
  
• Highly experienced project mentor working with volunteers for over 20 years
  
• Diversity of activities and multiple learning opportunities including:
  
• Farming (gardening, animal care, yogurt making etc.)
• Maintenance work
• Dealing with the public in the café

This sustainable farming, heritage conservation & café project is located in the heart of rural Ireland, about 45 minutes from Cork City, Ireland’s 2nd largest city. The farm is part of a large historical property which dates from the 18th century. It is surrounded by picturesque countryside with rolling hills, mountains, rivers and waterfalls. The 250 year old Georgian house is surrounded by beautiful gardens, fields and woodlands including a historical Victorian wall garden.

 The project strives to maintain this unique Irish heritage while using farming and gardening methods that sustain the natural environment. The farm produces vegetable in the summer as well as meat (beef and lamb – in the process of being organically certified). 

The project also focuses on maintaining biodiversity with its woodlands, which include native trees, bat houses, sand for solitary bees etc. These woodlands are part of a national Native Woodlands Conservation scheme. 

The Farm Shop and Café brings products from local farms to the people of Cork city, helping to bridge the urban-rural divide and promoting the consumption of local healthy products in a country where the vast majority of vegetables is imported from abroad. 

The project focuses on involving international volunteers in farming, maintenance and heritage conservation activities as well as helping at the Farm Shop and Café in Cork City, a vibrant and friendly city.  This project requires volunteers all year round.

  This project requires volunteers all year round.

Volunteer work:

The summer months will involve much more emphasis on outdoor and gardening activities (weeding, cutting grass etc.), maintaining the vegetable garden and surrounding fields and pathways,  general maintenance work, much of the day will be spent outdoors. The colder winter months will include activities such as gathering firewood, maintenance of the path and the stone walls, and rainy days would be spent indoors painting, woodwork, and general house maintenance. All throughout the year, volunteer look after animals (feeding, cleaning), get involved in household duties and in making yogurt. When volunteers arrive they’re shown all the various types of work. People may change jobs to avoid the monotony and give the volunteers the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of rural living. There are usually 5 to 10 international volunteers at the same time at the project.

Volunteers also assist in the farm’s café, which is located in Cork City centre for generally 1 to 2 days a week. Duties include dealing with the public, making coffee, selling local farmers' products and keeping the café clean and tidy. The cafe get generally busy on Fridays and Saturdays. Transport will be provided in and out of the city. Volunteers also share cooking and cleaning duties at the project accommodation.

The number of working hours is approximately 30-35 hours per week and is flexible from day to day. Volunteers can expect to work 5-7 hours a day on their project, 5 days a week. Sundays and Mondays are generally off. Volunteers are expected to be proactive on their placements, are expected to keep busy and to use their initiative. Working on a farm, they can expect to spend some time outdoors both in sunshine and in rainy/cold conditions, so appropriate clothing is essential.

The farm owner and his wife guide and support the volunteers throughout their programme. They have been welcoming and supervising volunteers for over 20 years and live in the main house with their two children. The farm owner is the main mentor and discuss with volunteers on a regular basis to discuss how they are progressing. As supervision is not always available, it is important that volunteers are able to work on their own as well as in a team. New ideas are welcome and encouraged.

Who are we looking for?

Volunteers are required to be adaptable, flexible people who like working outdoor and get their hands dirty! The must be over 18 when the project starts. They will join a group of volunteers comprised of people from different backgrounds, countries and cultures. Everyone involved in the project live as a community. One of the main goals of the project is to become aware and open to different ways of living and thinking. We are therefore looking for people who enjoy community living conditions with all its advantages (new friendships, teamwork, intercultural exchange) and disadvantages (lack of privacy, not getting on with everyone, coping with cleanliness standards of others  etc.) Volunteers need to be able to partake in teamwork, but personal motivation, maturity and responsibility are also important. Volunteers should enjoy physical outdoor work and rural living, and be prepared for simple and basic living condition and variable weather conditions, it’s often raining in Ireland!. Volunteers joining the project must have at least an intermediate level of spoken English.

Location and Transportation

The farm is situated in the county of Cork in a beautiful rural area with green fields, hills and woodlands, between Cork city and Macroom. The farm is quite isolated but volunteers have regular access to Cork City on Wednesdays to Saturdays (café opening days). Transport in and out of Cork City for work in the farm's café will be provided free of charge. Transportation to and from the Macroom bus station is guaranteed upon initial arrival and final departure from the project. Buses to Tralee, Cork and Killarney are available from Macroom, and transport to other cities is available in Cork. Bus ticket prices are subject to change, a one-way ticket from Macroom to Cork City costs around €12. 

8.15 Breakfast

9.00 Volunteer work starts, possible activities include:

• Gardening 
  
• Feeding animals
  
• Making yogurt
  
• Gathering firewood
• Building and construction of stone walls
  
• Maintaining pathways

13.00 Lunch with other volunteers. 

14.00 Volunteer work continues

16.30 Volunteer ends

Free time with other international volunteers (walks, games, chat, reading etc.)

18.00 Dinner with other volunteers

Volunteers have two days off per week. During their free time, volunteers can discover Cork city, a friendly and vibrant city with many festivals and cultural events taking place all year round. They can also visit some the many attractions that County Cork has to offer or explore the Wild Atlantic Way which starts in Kinsale, located only 30 min from Cork.