Moving to Ireland | Buying Land | FULL TOUR
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- #buyingland #offgridliving #offgridhomestead
Come for a full tour of our 6+ acres of land! We’ll tell you about our experience of buying land and moving to Ireland as well as let you in on the real reason that no one else wanted to buy this property.
One thing’s for sure: there’s a lot to do to turn this abandoned land into a fully functioning off grid homestead!
You can check out videos of our travels and home buying journey on Cori's channel here:
/ @corilivesthedreamlife
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As a former farmer, the first thing I'd buy, a second hand, 50 hp tractor, with a ROPS (basically a roll bar, you need that for such 'hilly' land), PTO (power take off), the second thing would be a flail/slasher, to run off the PTO and I'd have at your overgrown fields. In two weeks, you'd have broken the back of all that bracken fern, gorse and any other undesirables plants. If you only needed to tidy up the place, I'd pay a local contractor or one of your farming neighbours to do this work but it's going to be a constant battle with nature, over the next few years, to get on top of your weed problem, assuming, you don't want to use chemicals. Also, a tractor, will go where most vehicles won't, with a trailer or carry-all, you'll be able to drag whatever equipment, materials or supplies up your hilly land. It doesn't have to be expensive, a few thousand euros will get you one and tractors last for decades, generations, as long as it starts, you should be able to keep it going. Also the EU used to pay you, to make small wildlife habitats, things like hedges, if they still do it, it might something to look into? A small holding is a lot of hard work, the more machinery to help get the work done, the better. I know its not very romantic but farming, on any level, is just a lot of hard graft. Good luck, you're going to need it, it's going to be a steep learning curve but you can do it. Also, I'd rethink a cow, you don't have that much land and what will you do, with 20+ liters of milk per day, you can only make and store, so much butter, cheese or yoghurt. Indeed, as a family of three, you'd be hard pressed to go through 20 liters a week, nevermind, per day. A decent dairy goat Doe will give you at least 4+ litres a day, that's much more manageable amount of milk. Goats, are more personable and easier to manage, they also milk for two years, after they kid. Again, good luck to your wee family and I hope you enjoy, your move to my homeland. Slan.
I totally agree with what you have said about goats. They would also help with keeping any brush down or clearing out wooded areas. Some young pigs might help there as well. Not much good for milking though 😂
pigs are very useful for rewilding as they rootle and turn over the soil, apparently encouraging all kinds of helpful microorganisms, etc., plus there is the meat factor.
They said they wanted to raise a calf for meat so part of the milk will go in feeding the calf and can be also fed to pigs.
I agree about it being a battle to keep weeds down. Our garden area was two thirds brambles. Our builder (who's also a farmer) turned it over very thoroughly with his tractor bucket - maybe going a meter deep. The brambles still pop up. Any bit left in ground will continue to grow or re-root.
Thanks for the detailed advice, really appreciate it. Words of wisdom grounded in solid experience like your own are golden, and we value it a great deal.
We knew there would be a glut of excess dairy from the cow, we intended to feed the pigs and soak the chick feed in it. Also have come across many small scale homesteaders and market farmers using a diluted milk feed in the garden. I came across a Canadian Organic Orchard owner who used Whey sprayed on fruit trees to combat fungal diseases.
Thanks for following along
You neeeeeed to hire a herd of goats, they’ll clear all your land within about four weeks!! Sooooo true, get hiring 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐😁. Good luck with your venture
I was going to say the same thing. But add.... feeder pigs for tilling the land, kunekune pigs are grass/foliage feeders, so just as good as goats, friendly, and don't escape like goats, although goats are also good for milking. Highland cows could handle the elevations, but I don't think you'll be safe milking one. Sheep are good grazers but you'd need a Sheep dog to call them in because they're....well .sheepish (ie. Afraid of people).
My suggestion, whatever animals you get make sure they're either bottle raised or people raised and friendly. FOOD MOTIVATED also works.
Hiring a few goats for field work is good. Raising a flock isn’t such a great idea. They are like many Houdini! I do see a small rugged off~roader too. Love your work, Susan.
Sheep can live on Hilary.
I was going to say the same about the goats. But maybe rent out the fields to a local farmer. Short term lease at lower the cost of rental
I don't know many hired goat herds there are in Ireland but there's no harm in asking about, they might get lucky.
We bought 15 acres in NE Scotland 10 years ago, having been outbid numerous times on other plots. We did the same as you and placed an offer without viewing the place and it was accepted. One offgrid house build, many sheds and a whole bunch of livestock later and it is the best thing we have ever done. Looking forward to seeing your journey.
Always better when sweat and tears go into a project and makes it yours.
Welcome to Ireland. I love it and l sense you may also. We are a mystical people, great fun, serious survivors. Dont handshake a deal unless you are serious., as it's the contract. The seasons are comforting. Embrace the rain...as it blooms your fields. Then the rainbows emerge. Take time to embrace them. Welcome. Ireland
Gosh, the seasons are sort of disappearing... Don't be lulled into any false sense of security, there's so much unpredictability. -On the positive side, late summer has been running into milder September and October the past 5 years. If there's room for late sowings, you might get good late harvests.
Springs are much milder than traditionally but late frosts STILL happen in spite of much milder weather so 'getting ahead' can turn into a lot of wasted effort after one night's frost in late April. (Heartbreaking)
High winds and storms are an increasing phenomenon here. Starting in October/November - they ran through to late spring this year. -If you're building tunnels I'd aim for them to be done and secure by the end of September, or they could be blown away entirely. Actually, given that you're at the start of your project, aanything that isn't strapped down by then could be blown away!.
Rainfall is no longer seasonable at all. Periods of little to no rain can occur at any time of year now, and these dry spells are often followed with heavy rain.
It's not at all unmanageable - but you need to be aware you can't rely on weather conditions to do what you expect or what you need. If you know that, then you won't be caught out. Good luck!
As a retired small holder, I would consider getting some goats. They will help you clear the land and could be a more manageable source of milk and meat than cows. They are also much better suited to the terrain that you have.
🐐Goats are definitely getting the popular vote!
@@offgridirishhomestead You can also lend/rent goats to people with overgrown weed problems.
@@offgridirishhomestead100% more easy to handle.
What a lovely couple. I wish them the best. We will keep watching.
Thanks for following along
What a beautiful property and adventure ahead for your young family. Please watch Bealtaine Cottage and link up with the owner Collette O’ Neil. She bought a 3 acre property in the west of Ireland, described as poor land, which she turned single handedly in a paradise of tranquility, wild life refuge and fertile homestead. The work she’s done, as one woman is amazing. Looking forward to watch your homesteading journey💞💐
Thanks for the suggestion. Will check out her content. Appreciate you following along
Love the fact that you show that you can disagree with each other - that's life. And love the ups and downs of the land. Looks great, as do your plans.
If you have problems with ticks then get yourself some guinea fowl. Not only do they eat the ticks they also eat the eggs of the ticks.
Interesting! Thank you
I second this suggestion! Guinea fowl and chickens help reduce tick populations. Combine that with dusting with diatomaceous earth (when it has 2-3 days to work *without rain*). Removing brush by mowing, goats, or controlled burning can help tremendously to deprive the ticks of cover.
It's absolutely IMPERATIVE that you all have tests for Lyme Disease. Lyme untreated is deadly. That is definitely a life limiting condition. You have to rule out.
Musical genius Ren was bitten by a Tick, misdiagnosed for years,almost died had to have stem cell treatment in Canada (not cheap) his Songs 'Hi Ren' & 'Troubles' & 'Tick boy' and many others will give you the picture. )@@offgridirishhomestead
Native birds will also eat ticks
Locally known as redwater. Only stock born on the land will thrive
Sunlight in Ireland is quite high. It is one of the reasons why everything grows here and why it is so green!!
@@raymonddixon7603 hmmm are you sure it’s not the copious rainfall causing everything to be so green?
@@CG-99 No the extra daylight, particularly in the finer months. There are 19 hours of daylight. One thing about the weather. It does not rain all the time. It is much the same as any northern climate. What happens in Ireland is that it rains UNEXPECTEDLY. Another is the warm climate. It never gets too cold and it never gets too hot. This and daylight leads to great growth. If it rained all the time I am afraid there would be no growth!!
Think it is Global Warming! 🌅
With global boiling rapidly increasing, perhaps planting grapevines is a terrific idea 🤔
Hiya guys good luck with the project first thing you need to buy is a small 4 wheel drive compact tractor with loader with a flail mower it will go anywhere
Now that's the kind of comment I need to get it past the financial controller (wife)!
K
Mind yourselves with the ticks.
They can be dangerous.
Also treasure the blackthorn and the whitethorn
They were sacred trees in Celtic mythology
We love the Blackthorn and Whitethorn. My current desktop background features them in bloom early Spring.
I think the ticks business is just our latest panic. I come from an extended family of almost exclusively dairy farmers and not a one ever caught Lyme disease. Seems to be a disease that only affects some townies on their only ever rural picnic.
@@winterishere9828that's a fair point - but this suggests the farming community has built up immunity. A family new to Ireland won't have that... So as much as I'm not one for worrying, I wouldn't be dismissing it.
Treasure the Blackthorn and the Bramble (Bramble is the mother of the Oak as it provides protection as it grows). Scrubland is our most valuable habitat which nearly every human being is unaware of.
@@winterishere9828 I think you'll find that's not true if you do your research. Down in Kerry there are a good number of non-townies whose lives have been destroyed by Lyme disease.
Great tour guys. Ever considered hiring a herd of goats?? May save you a lot of time & effort clearing those fields. Much less destructive and they don't blast around the seeds again from the strimmer etc.
Great suggestion, seems to be the consensus. Thanks for following along
@@offgridirishhomestead +1 on two goats, but make sure you electric fence them well.
I agree they can protect themselves better than sheep . A donkey is very important but get it when it's young so u can have them mind better
But they are very protective of the animals on the farm . Being a farmer is the best you guys will do great. God bless you both .
I'm from the USA and I love Ireland and good luck. I'm excited for you.
Love the land and your plan's. We live in Ireland and also own land so I'm excited to watch your progress 🎉
Wind power on the hill, free energy. Zigzag paths will get a 4X4 up that hill get the digger out 😊
Someone else suggested a zigzag too. Don't need to ask me twice to get the digger !
Incredible property!!
Your editing skills are really good. One suggestion is to pull back on the harsh cuts to clip out bits as y’all are speaking. It’s pushing the flow to a faster pace than you are speaking and feels less natural. Sometimes it feels like it’s been speed up. You two are endearing, so don’t try to speed up the final product, let us see the real you. A little breathing room is good. 😎
Keep up the good work, ignore the harsh comments, excited to watch the journey y’all are on!
Appreciate the feedback. I praise Cori for her edit skills often. Mostly because I am no natural on cam, and waffle a fair bit - so she has a job on her hands to make it flow. Hopefully with practice I improve where it doesn't cause the need to chop. Thanks for following along
K
Agree with the comment about you two being endering! You are extremely watchable. Don't cut back on your silly times and yes show the bloopers. It's not just content (and yours is good) but also personalities that draw people to a channel. You have personality in spades! Use it!!
Good luck with your new homestead and may all your dreams come true. Wishing you both good health and happiness as you begin this new chapter of your life. Mossy bottom channel shows how a man used a couple of pigs to clear ground for his first potato patch. Goats eat any greenery but it's hard to fence them in so they might wander. Vera in Northern Ireland ❤
Hi Vera, I watched some of Mossy's content and enjoyed it. Shame he moved on... Thanks for following along
SUGGESTION:
Please, let your daughter get proper horse training, by a certified trainer, before getting a pony.
Often time children are uncomfortable at the size of the horse and form fear instead of confort.
A horse is an animal that can be unpredictable and intimidating.
With proper training, she will learn how to ride the horse, take care of the horse… feeding, brushing, bathing, scoop the poop and etc.
Proper teachings/training is essential.😊
You are absolutely correct. She has been fortunate enough to have been doing riding lessons and pony management for a while now. Thanks for following along
@@offgridirishhomestead Thank goodness. You guys are wise parents.
She’s a very lucky 🍀 girl😊
Great video, love all that land as I have horses! The cow barn/shed should be ample protection for a horse/pony to shelter in when necessary, don't worry too much about stables but you obviously need somewhere to bring it into for grooming, vet, farrier etc (go bare foot, much better and a lot cheaper to maintain) , good luck! 😁👍
🎉Did they say princess Ann was injured by a horses leg? Did they mean hoof? She was an expirienced horse woman.
I say too unpredictable for children.
@@offgridirishhomestead Don’t forget that horses are herd animals and should never be kept alone!
You'll be surprised how many rescue ponies and horses there are at rescue centres. They often have ones that can be ridden. I'm sure your place would be heaven for a couple of rescue ponies.
Totally. Bring the best of what you have to offer but don't underestimate the Irish. The education system is amazing, most kids have A levels and usually a college degree and have travelled the world.
@@Takko-t2v thank you kind bot
Check out Bealtaine cottage (west coast of Ireland). What that woman has achieved on three acres of sloping scrub land is amazing.
Thanks for the suggestion, will do.
@@offgridirishhomestead your welcome. Also camper vibes, who have just moved to Ireland and are renovating an old stone cottage with lots of problems and solutions. Would be my dream ,but too old now so I love watching others achieve it. All the best to you both ☘️
Was just coming here to make the same suggestion. Instead of clearing the land, plant trees and adopt forest gardening. Ireland was once almost entirely forested and badly needs more trees to be planted, not cleared.
Bealtaine Cottage is amazing! Colette is an endless source of ideas and inspiration ❤
Congratulations on your first homestead. I love seeing young couples doing this makes me happy. I actually
have 10 acres in Alabama, US since 2015. I'm 59 and doing it all by myself.
Yes it is hard work but also very rewarding and very exciting every time harvest comes in.
We get very excited harvesting anything, so we have a common understanding. So empowering growing your own sustenance.
As a lifelong horse owner ( family owned boarding facility ) make sure you have a vet and farrier in your area before you buy a horse. They can be a bit more delicate than people realize. I spend more on my horses vet and farrier bills than I do their food. Also remember you need to have a companion for it and the majority of horses will not bond with a cow. Some will with a goat or donkey. Horses do teach amazing responsibility to kids and I can’t imagine life without them, but they basically eat money 😂
Hehe, I had better get that money tree planted pronto! Thanks for the insight on bonding.
As an Irishman living in Houston, Texas, I just found y’all’s channel, so I will follow your odyssey with great interest.
Our first comment from Texas, Thanks for following along!
I lived in Ireland for several years 20 years or so ago! We had an old cottage outside a rural village which my parents renovated,at the time I was a teenager and busy going out enjoying the social scene(which was always good).I never fully understood the depth of work carried out and moaned a lot about the dust/ mess /inconvenience of camping out in the property whilst making it a home….but boy was it worth it.Ireland is a beautiful country and the people are so friendly,homely and welcoming! Your videos bring back pleasant memories of living in the renovation chaos and your enthusiasm to make your plans work is great to see. Loving your updates can’t wait to see all your progress! Xx not sure where you are in Ireland but it looks beautiful!
Funny, we get a fair bit of moaning from the little one. We aren't able to appreciate these things until well into our lives, we feel fortunate we are able to do so with some energy left in our batteries.
Thanks for following along.
Please don't keep a cow alone, they are herd animals. It makes no sense financially to keep a cow or two but get it's a cute plan
Getting fresh milk every day for yourselves and your children is a little more than a cute plan. It’s how people survived throughout history.
@@TheSwissChaletyes but they didn't have to spend a fortune on paperwork
Absolutely! We are aware of the heard animal needs. Thanks for following along
@@skx9159nor did they need a herd number or a TB test every 6 months.
You'll need a herd number to buy/sell cows, probably a good idea to pay an agricultural adviser to get you set up. Your place and type of farming seems ideal for the new greening scheme acres. Could net you a few thousand a year for very little work.
Welcome to Ireland. May all your wishes come true.
Appreciate the comment. Thank you
You certainly have your work cut out for you ! I’m here for the journey 👏. Best wishes !
Thanks for following along
I am concerned that having been bitten by ticks your "colds" might be a sign that you could have contracted Lyme disease?
Not sure how prevalent infected ticks are in Ireland but you should certainly do some in depth research.
Love your enthusiasm and sending good wishes for you all.❤
Hi Linda, thanks for the concern. We have done lots of reading on the topic, not something to be taken lightly. Thanks for following along
@@offgridirishhomestead study German New Medicine and learn that ticks do not cause the “diseases” the “experts” tell you. There is much fear mongering. Don’t listen to it, you will be fine.
Remember in Ireland, owning a horse isn’t posh or upper class, but owning a saddle is!
lol very true
Funny enough the little one did her first bareback hack a few days ago, was beaming from ear to ear.
I paid more for my saddle than I did for ANY of my horses!
@@lyndakling901 🤣🤣🤣
😂😂 love it, stealing that quote. Enjoy the journey guys, lovely place.
Love you two. Can't wait to see everything you do to the cottage and the land.
First off. Welcome to Ireland. And welcome to homesteading. I'm a small mixed farmer in the West of Ireland. Sheep, goats, bees, veg and the occasional rare breed pig. Secondly. If you have mature Elm trees on your land that is incredibly rare in Ireland. Incredibly. I've never seen one. Teagasc, our farm and ag development org in Ireland are actively looking to collect samples from mature elm. Almost every single elm was killed by Dutch Elm Disease, and if they can find resistant Elm, they want samples to help breed resistant trees. Dr Deeraj Rathore is the contact in Teagasc for Elm. If you do have elm thats doing ok, and is more than 20 years old, you might have a resistant tree. Please do contact them. There are pretty much no elm trees above 20 years left. Good luck with the renovation, with the homesteading, gardening, milk cow and dairying. The house looks amazing, and the land looks amazing too - even if it does pose challenges.
Hi Keith, thanks for the comment. If you wouldn't mind reaching out to us by email (see channel about), would appreciate a correspondence.
Think about goats instead of cows. A friend of mine made a good deal of money making and selling goat cheese when she was in high school. Then her parents split up and sold the land, end of her dairy business.
🐐 We do love goats cheese
I love your enthusiasm & vision. Wish you all the best. Have fun! 👍🏻😊
Let others bid where they will; you have some amazing land and visionary ideas for it.
I believe that ducks eat slugs and ticks so that might be something to consider.
Best of luck to you all, I look forward to seeing what you decide to do with that stunning land. So many creative possibilities.
I have been considering ducks for sure! The possibilities are what makes me so excited for it all too. Thanks for following along
It would seem you need to think outside the square - consider terracing and how you can take control of the landscape rather than feeling overwhelmed by it. Just pausing to consider other options can be enlightening
Good advice, thank you.
I’m so happy I found you both, love you and look forward to more videos. Hope your cold gets better soon
Cows are heard animals and get depressed living alone. As are horses. So a pony for your daughter to be a companion for the dairy cow would be ideal 😊
Good luck with your venture. I enjoy folks going out on their own and making it happen. From Las Vegas, Nevada USA.
First comment from Las Vegas, welcome - thanks for following along
Have people camp on the land, you can make a little $$$$. Just Tents
I come across another English couple on UA-cam who have recently sold up and moved to Ireland for a restoration project. Must get their youtube channel to link to you.
Ps. I think the Irish govt does grants for old stone cottages. Worth a punt anyway.
Just subbed to your channel for this resto. Good luck 😎
Thanks a mil!
Im from Ireland and bought my own homestead cottage with 2 acres of land and 2 lifetimes of firewood.
Any land that is unuseable is great for goats if ye are meat eaters or else have a plantation of ash trees, eucalyptus or any faat growing good firewood. Hazel is also great. Well done and best of luck on tour new adventure❤❤
Thanks a mil
@@offgridirishhomestead ur welcome, do u mind me asking , what part of Ireland it is. It looks like kerry
Fantastic smile and a great laugh.....thats all thats needed
😊 goats. Yup. Goats. Takes care of a lot of that and feta cheese is good!! Plant lots of rosemary and mint around to help discourage flies and ticks. For good nitrogen fixing plant clover. That also calls in lots of pollinators.
Feta cheese doesn't last long in this household. Love it. I planted 49 Rosemary seeds in the propagator early spring, got a poor germination rate, managed to nurse 3 of them to survival. Little blighters breaking my heart.
K
When you get to know the locals, ask them if they know the old Irish field names the original owner would have used. Every field in Ireland has its own name. 👍
We have asked one of our immediate neighbours. One more who might know we have yet to ask. Our little fields are a bit tucked away into obscurity, so there are not many left with the local knowledge of their history. We'll keep digging!
Our city just brought in a herd of goats to 'clear' city land that is overgrown with invasive plants. Apparently they are great for maintaining land. Definitely consider asking the local farmers if they would be interested and if it would be possible. It might help you out until you get your own animals. BEAUTIFUL property!!!!
Thank you so much
Tjos looks like such a fun adventure. Im subscribing because I cant wait to see your progress. ❤
Lots of hard work ahead. Listen to local knowledge & feed from it. Good Luck 🍀
100%
Hi guys, I have been farming in Australia for over 20 years. Can I suggest you buy some Wlitshire pole sheep, they are a meat sheep, you don't shear them, their wool (hair) falls off. They love blackberries and woody areas, they normally breed twins or triplets. The Wiltshire are so incredibly maternal, the herd chases foxes away.....perfect for your land!
Interesting - thanks for the food for thought!
Great to hear from you! I bought 5 ewes and 1 ram, I had 5 acres with a couple of belted Galloways, the sheep were fantastic! I ended up with 17 sheep after 2 years, they would wander from paddock to paddock, they were so self sufficient!
Irish equivalent would be the Wiltshire Horned or the modern composite breed called Easy Care.
@@hughmarcus1 Yes that is correct, I actually had Wiltshire horned, I had to be careful because they will charge if you confront them, they will defend.....
Hi lovely place ,your land is crying out for sheep and goats ,goats will clear your brambles and the sheep will do the rest good luck cheers
My reservation about sheep is, I have heard they are permanently on the hunt to find ways to kill themselves ? Thanks for following along.
K
New subscriber. Wow, its absolutely beautiful and amazing! Thanks ☦️ for taking us along for your journey 🙏🏻 Nurse Judi in AZ
Fruit trees- infinite possibilities!! Exciting times ahead!
Love the comments - goats eat grass-
Sounds like a plan.
Oh God- ticks!
Bless you
Goats will eat grass only if they can't get anything else, and that "else" is just about anything you don't want them to eat.
@@offgridirishhomestead You might want to keep some of the blackberries, maybe along just one stretch of wall. At least if they taste good.
Good luck on your property!
Hey there. Well done you getting this property. If you can afford it buy a secondhand alpine tractor such as an Antonio Carrera or similar as they have a really low centre of gravity and they are fairly small. Friends of ours had a similar situation and it works really well for them as it does for a local island that is super steep. A second purchase would be a flail topper to help you get the bracken etc under control. A link box (transport box) will allow you to get your materials and feed where you want it. These things will definitely change your lives. We also have a 2 wheel tractor with flail topper and rotovator attachments (you can get loads of others) and to be honest I can flail down slopes up to around 1 in 1 but it does get interesting at that point unless you get the axle extensions or extra wheels. That would allow you to at least manage the land how you wanted. Chicken tractors will allow you to manage the chooks and can be moved with either of the two tractors I have mentioned. I can strongly recomend getting an electric start 2 wheel tractor over the pull start one especially if there is a lot of moisture in the air. No more strained fingers trying to pull start a 13hp engine.....don't go for the small engine ones as you will need it for the topper on steep slopes. We have an ancient JD 2040 with a loader on and I have no problems with slopes up to 1 in 4 except when the grass is long and wet but 4 wheel drive overcomes most of that. Also remeber pigs eat exerything (so do sheep) so protect your trees if you dont want them killed off when small. Good luck.
get goats!! the milk is far superior and they ll do a great job of clearing, plus they are adorable companions. Great place you ve got there
Goats are great....a great amount of work just keeping track of the feckers...
Best of luck with the journey. There are quite a few herb plants that deter ticks but perhaps thats why they attract deer that carry ticks.
Seen a few articles about this, will be digging deeper on the topic. Thanks!
Make an orchard, fruit trees, get some sheep,get hens
Sheep over graze - their land will suffer as they only have 6 acres. Agree with orchard though.
Orchard imperative.
Your piece of land is amazing 🥰 You made such a great catch with this! I enjoyed watching 😊
Thanks for following along
I was in the same situation to clearing a lot of acreage of weeds and brush. I got a bunch of Goats, and just rotate them around using a portable electric fence powered by a lithium battery
Thats how we are moving the poultry run around at the mo. Good to know the same approach can work for the goats 🙏
New subscriber from Tennessee, USA. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your adventure. 🙏 for your safety and success!
My wife keeps asking me how much it was and so I said I’d ask you 😁
BTW - I bought in Tipperary three years ago. 😁
Cori has plans to do a vid on the subject in the not too distant. Watch this space! We looked at and bid on a few places around Tip, Laois, Kilkenny. Love them all. Thanks for following along.
K
Looking forward to your adventure good luck
Clue up on the plants you are thinking of getting rid of. Nettles make a great tea. Also steep nettles in water and a month later you have an antifungal spray and pest control spray.
Yes have come across folks telling of the many benefits of the nettle soup on the garden, definitely plan to experiment with it.
Hallo ihr Beiden… was seid ihr für ein tolles Paar! Ihr werdet alles schaffen, was ihr Euch wünscht und ich freue mich darauf, Euch begleiten zu dürfen
Ich habe Euren Traum schon hinter mir, wir sind in 2002 von Deutschland nach Süd Afrika ausgewandert und haben ein altes, traumhaftes aber total heruntergekommenes Haus renoviert und das Grundstück auf Vordermann gebracht, allerdings hatten wir nur 1,5 Hektar
Unser Sohn war damals neun Jahre alt …. also habe ich sehr viel Verständnis und Respekt vor dem, was vor Euch liegt….es wird wunderbar werden 🎉
Behaltet Euren Humor….ich grüße Euch ganz lieb, allerdings wieder aus Deutschland
Eure Elli. (Elke). 🙋🏻♀️
Hallo Elke, ich beschäme mich, sagen zu müssen, dass meine Deutschkenntnisse sehr schlecht sind, daher kommt dies über Google Translate zu dir. Vielen Dank für Ihren lieben Kommentar, den wir beide sehr schätzen. Südafrika, wow, was für ein Abenteuer du hier erlebt hast. Es ist in der Tat eine mutige und mutige Lebensentscheidung, die Bequemlichkeit Ihres Heimatlandes zu verlassen und Ihre Grenzen zu erweitern, etwas, das wir beide gemeinsam haben. Aus Interesse: Was hat Sie motiviert, von Ihrem Kapitel in Südafrika zurückzukehren? Vielen Dank fürs Mitmachen!
Wish I was there to help you with clearing and planning - build terraced stone walls in the sloping field including beautiful stairways of stone going downward. Plant vegetables and flowers, installing a gravity-fed watering system.A herd of goats, an Anatolian Shepard dog, and a milk cow all for the shed. Steep slopes are wonderful for trees - wonder if you can install Orange trees which we have in Southern California, lined up like soldiers across very, very steep hillsides.
Careful of the Ticks this time of year guys, its uncommon but Lyme disease is contractable from Irish ticks. Homestead looks beautiful, best of luck with it
They are menaces alright! Thank for following along
Pasture Pigs & Goats for ground clearance is your best bet on that ground. Nice to find your vlog & I look forward to the future ones. Best of Luck with it all.
Hi Corri enjoyed your farm walk,few things to consider I farm a medium farm firstly fields 4-5 are best suited for grazing or hay- silage for winter feed,not suited for oacherd due to its remoteness’s, I have a n acres of fruit beside my house, almost fails to keep crows at bay,sloping hillside with shelter is ideal for fruit production. Ferns only very productive land , a few hours to make road to hill field
kind regards Sean
Hi Sean, thanks for the suggestions and thanks for following along !
The top of the hill with a view perfect place for a holiday mini home rent ,just need some way to build it all ,beautiful place congratulations.
I was going to suggest the goats too they eat anything ,welcome to Ireland we came here from Essex 6 years ago and haven't looked back
"Unobtainium" is indeed self explanatory 👏
Exactly!
Firstly congratulations and welcome to our little emerald isle. Secondly, never say never, that piece of high land overlooking that lake is stunning. Imagine a wood cabin there😮. 2 youtubers I'd recommend just for ideas are Roaming wild Rosie and French farmhouse diaries. Tons of reno inspo. Excited to follow your journey.
Appreciate the suggestions will check them out. Thanks for following along
@@offgridirishhomestead I recommend "off grid Bruce", English family off gridding in Co Clare. Covers a lot of your plans re animals, forest, orchard etc. Even the ponies the girls had for a while!
amazing i enjoyed watching your lovely land. one small suggestions buy about 10 goats for over grown grassy fields and see the results watching from near Leeds.
chickens in a secure movable area will help clear the flatter areas and goats for the more rugged areas. Also consider advertising the nettles and wild herbs and small producer soap makes for example might come and collect (pick) for free 😊
Great suggestions. Thanks for following along
Watchng now from Dublin , hope it works out . looks like hard work but nice to see reclaiming land from the wild
Thanks a mil!
Just finished watching your 1st post! You two are just a little bit dotty if you ask me! But I love adventuresome people so I can live vicariously (I am 90 in 2 months) so I expect to be deliriously entertained!!
May you still be laughing when this is all over, even if you are not speaking to each other!!
Wishing you well from Northern California, USA.
07/04/24
Thanks for following along
No hill is too steep for growing veg. You just need to set up raised beds with the tops level. I used to rent a 250 square meter allotment that was all on the slope. If you took a car down you had to phone a farmer to pull you back up to the path. In the raised beds I grew onions, beetroot, shallots for pickling, and salad veg. On the slope side I grew spring cabbage set late on in the year, primo for summer and savoy for autumn/ winter cutting. Potatoes by the sack bag full, carrots I grew in a old header tank filled with a layer of manure topped off mainly with sand with a little soil mixed in, ( keeps the carrot fly away and makes it easy to pull them up). Parsnips that i had to wrap a rope around the crown and use a stick in order to pull them out. Rhubarb, strawberries, french and runner beans, peas, cauliflowers and brussels. 6 by 6 green house had a potting bench on one side and three grow bags on the other for half a dozen tomato plants which provide enough tomatoes to eat fresh or blanch, mash and fill plasic beakers to be placed in the freezer. Had four chickens providing 3 eggs a day which I ended up giving most of away, ( I only eat one or two eggs per week).chickens were let out to range the garden, keeping the slugs and bugs down. If I had had enough room, I would have made a mobile pen and coop, so that it could be moved to a different spot after they had stripped it of weeds and grass, fertilising the soil as they went. Never bought any veg from one years end to the next. A cabbage will cost you over a pound in the shops, and for the same money you can buy a pack of seed with upwards of 250 seeds in. I reluctantly had to give it up due to osteoarthritis in by spine, hips and pelvis.
What you describe sounds like our idea of heaven. Sorry to hear about your health troubles. Hope you still manage to enjoy some for of growing. Appreciate you following along and sharing your experience!
Where there's a will, there's a way and with hard work and good planning you can have a very beautiful place in a few years time.☺
Good luck! Looking forward to the next video!
Thanks a mil!
You should get a proper farm horse for your daughter. She will live her dream of owning a horse and you will have so much help with those hillsides. My grandparents had very hilly land and thier horse was priceless. She could handle hills that no tractor could manage.
You can plant on any slope land using permaculture principles.
Swales are a great way to farm a slope💕
@@Jj-gi2uv 💕
I sincerely enjoyed watching your clip and subscribed to your channel. I love Ireland and the nature, the music, and character of the people tremendously. They’re spunky and funny oh and so lively. They have enormous humor and great are story tellers. I have dreamt of buying an old cottage with good bones and land there and refurbishing it. Can you provide the realtor link that you used? I would sincerely appreciate it. Wishing you all the best on your life journey and off grid venture. Thank you😊🌻
You should consider getting a contractor with a tractor mounted hedge cutter to cut the brambles back in some of those fields. It would open up the place for you and make life much easier. The land doesn't look too bad. It's just been neglected for years. Best of luck with it.
I am waiting on a local farmer to turn up with his tractor and topper as I type this. They have been busy with there own silage collection.
Pack in tools on donkeys or ponies. Terracing should help with small quanity producfivity. The land is so hilly and you are going to watch out for flooding and drainage issues. I have seen access to upper fields with steps too. Get a lot of advice from a land engineer and the local farmers. An Orangery attached to the house will help with some plantt propagation and delicate fruits.
It’s quite a adventure but I love how you are passionate about it, I can see how quickly your place is going to be transformed and can wait for the next video 😊
Just joined your channel…I would look into getting an environmental specialist round, there are a lot of grants available for having and creating wildlife habitat.
You have a lot of good stuff there, but they can advise you how you could use the land along with the habitat and get paid for it.
You might have gone down that route already.
Looking forward to seeing more updates😀💪🏻👍🏻
Hey great advice, thanks for following along.
Looking forward to your progress! I’m anxious to see your stone walls. Good luck to you. You seem to have the right spirit!
I know you want to do everything yourselves, but honestly if you got a track machine with mulcher attachment in for a few days, it would give you a tremendous head start. In less than a week It would save months maybe years of manual work. Best of luck with it anyway 👍
Absolutely, you are spot on. Will get the equipment in at some point, just need to prioritise the time, energy and finances right now! Thanks for following along
Привіт з України! Про перше поле- якщо воно поряд то можна зробити грядки террасами огороджуючи дошками або кам'янами стінами невисокими по коліно
Привіт, наш перший український коментар! дякую за вашу пропозицію. Тераси - це, безперечно, те, про що я пам’ятаю на майбутнє. Дякуємо, що слідкуєте
@@offgridirishhomestead і ввм подяка. Успіху, вдачі та натхнення! Все буде добре!❤
Looks like you have plenty of plant matter to mulch and add to your soil when you start actually gardening. Great fun. My family had a huge trench that we tossed chopped up bushes and grass, tree branches. We tilled it up with a Massey Furgeson 245 old tractor with all sorts of tools we could attach. We worked that poor. Tractor all year. Good luck there.
Would love an old Massey Ferguson, or any tractor for that matter. Lots of beautiful restored classics in use around us.
Exciting new channel!!! Careful with ticks if you get cows, if they ingest them, they can actually die. Happened on our farm in Ireland. Exciting plans, sure it will change/be refined hundreds of times! Best of luck and get well soon.
Thanks a mil. Didn't know that re: cows ingesting them. Appreciate the comment.
What kind of ticks have you got, there?! Do chickens help?
You should get a native irish cow such as droimeann or kerry breed! Both great milkers
Hey, thanks for the suggestions. We are drawn to Jersey for the dairy fat content. We very much appreciate native breeds for all of the advantages they bring. How does their milk compare ?
Viewing from Taiwan. Native of USA. Grew up on a farm in Indiana. Lots of cows, chickens, and rabbits. Jealous of your move to Ireland! Stepped land gives a variety of options. Great energy between you.
Thank you so much for following along. Appreciate the good vibes
How much did the land cost if you don't mind saying
I know the house you bought and the famous Lough behind you. I was there about four times to run in the electricity supply, the previous owners kept getting thing wrong, ducting broken, crushed, no rope etc. Best of luck!
Hello, and thanks for leaving a comment! We appreciate your discretion. Starting from scratch with it all - so no worries on that front. Where is the best place to source electrical gear, the local shop in town has a strong markup.
Got your reply - thanks for the tips. Hope we do the cottage justice! Cheers for following along.
Hi there, I live in Mayo, so I know the winds and all that overgrowth thing... What I enjoy the most, is when I see that you have humour, a lot of it! It's the only way through life and I am absolutely sure that you will, over time, use this land in ways you cannot imagine right now. Other people have done similar things in this and other parts of the world and over time they turned it into something special. I am sure this is going to be the case as well for your land. Best of luck and keep giggling! 🙂
Thanks for the good vibes and joining us on the adventure
Get the girl a horse. My daughters had a pony when they were young and it taught them lots of responsibility. Looks like. Great property with lots of potential. Enjoying the channel. Tks for sharing.
Her dreams are in the works.... Thanks for following along
Try and keep as many wildlife habitats as possible, and make a pond if possible, nice to have secret areas and privacy for your selfs also. Looks like a paradise ❤❤
a Pond is a great idea and wild it with plants, make it big enough to bathe in.
Possibly borrow a tractor and mow the flatter fields down to rid the ticks.
Welcome to Ireland!! As a country lass brought up on a farm on a border county, i did not appreciate how peaceful and beautiful it is till now. Still live in the countryside, and now know i could never live in a built up city, ever! I know it rains, but i love the freshness, and would actually love to live beside the Atlantic over in Achill Island area and has the wind and fresh breeze hit my face everyday. As you grow older its lovely for a slow life. Best wishes to you 3.🏠
Thanks a mil! Looking forward to building a new life and growing old here.
Im in wexford ive 12 pet goats love them,delighted with ur land purches,i tink u shud get goats,hope all go well for u both,
at some time in the past, folks farmed that land. How wonderful that you will renew that use and purpose!!! Thank you for taking us along with you!
Thank you for joining us
Thanks for the tour and good luck. Questions: How many cows? How will you overwinter them? Buy in fodder or make hay/haylage/silage? Field 1 looks possibly 'hay-able' with all that Yorkshire fog, if a bit steep. Graze the aftermath but don't let it poach or you'll shake your haying gear to bits unless you roll/harrow. Too many cows and a pony and you'll run out of grazing, even if you enclose areas of rough vegetation/scrub and let them graze that. And pigs? What sort of pony? You could ride a haflinger and use it as a draft animal. They are good doers and don't eat much. Intelligent too.
How are you heating the cottage? You have trees and could plant coppice, potentially. Firewood, when seasoned and dried properly burns clean and produces plenty of heat. I'd say get a wood burner, get an 'oversize' one, with a back boiler or a worm around the flue and you can heat water with it as well as the room it's in. Put it in an interior chimney stack and you can heat the masonry mass in that which acts as a storage heater, heating the room behind, the two rooms above (if 2 storeys) and lets the heat out gradually. Stick it in an outside stack or flue and you 'lose' a lot of the heat.
What species are your elms? Ulmus procera ('English' elm)? Susceptible to Dutch elm disease, so if you get the beetle, you get the disease and they might all 'die', well the above ground parts will. Doesn't coppice, but does sucker. Possibly best to cut it before it gets too big so the disease won't appear and run it as a firewood crop. Firewood does not have to be split to be good and efficient to process into fuel - I run on derelict hazel coppice that supplies all my heating needs. This might help: ua-cam.com/video/dwGjSKkUU10/v-deo.html runs 25 mins, so watch with a cuppa. Channel is un-monetised and 'ecology heavy' but there other practical vids on there, like one on a logging brake for quick and safe logging of smaller diameter firewood. If your trees are Ulmus glabra (wych elm) that'll coppice and not so susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Both are okay firewood if prepared correctly - you will find plenty on line who will say that elm is not worth the trouble, but if that's what you've got, that'll do. And it's fine in a wood burner. Hawthorn burns hot and clean. Blackthorn ditto, but is a s*d to work with. And it suckers like crazy, moving into land you think is cleared. You may want to cut back the edges frequently to prevent it yomping about. Ash is great for firewood and many other uses but is suffering badly with ash dieback disease.
Are you sure that 'rewilding' means 'big trees'?
Shutting up now.
This is purely for self sufficiency, so likely a single dairy cow which will raise a calf for the freezer. I dont think we have enough to produce enough hay/silage for the pair, so will likely have to supplement with brought in feed.
Re: Pigs, again as its just the 3 of us - there is only so much pork we need. So 2, maybe 3 pigs so we have enough to gift and share with the local community.
The pony is entirely up to the little one! The haflinger is a beautiful breed, I am sure she would be very pleased if that were her own.
I have thought long and hard about the heating for the cottage. Great question btw. My original intention was exactly as you suggest. Had done a load of planning and preparation ready for planting willow as the biomass source. However, as it is job #1 on the list, and the #1 thing which dictates when we are able to move in, I needed to get back to the reality here and now. We need a solution to this - yesterday! At least something more immediate than waiting 2 years for some potential thining and 3 years before an initial coppice. A woodland which is yet to be planted as the basis for our heating needs seemed like too much of a distant solution when we dont have a habitable home right now. So I have settled on Ground source heat pump with a large horizontal heating loop under field #2. This should give us the basis for a cost effective long term efficient heat source, which I should be able to run on solar. Any solid fuel stove would then supplement this. There are similar heatmass advantages to be realised with wet underfloor heating feeding a 4" slab of concrete.
I had very little knowledge of trees before coming to IRL and becoming a custodian of these 6ac and the various flora it contains. It was an pleasure discovering how to identify the various trees on the land, quite challenging
during the barren winter when we landed. As they came into bud and leaf confirming any suspicions we may have had. My ignorance carries over to the specific species - but according to Ireland wildlife trust, there is only one native Elm - Wych elm - Ulmus glabra ?
Appreciate the advice on processing firewood. Your channel looks like it has some good content.
Thanks for following along!
@@offgridirishhomestead You're right. I was sure I'd seen U procera on various visits to Ireland North and south, but U glabra is the native species. U procera is apparently widely planted. I've learned something, which is good..
Beautiful location and would you consider some of the land for a 'wild type camping/glamping site' and Cori you could run bread making courses. Welcome to Ireland and may your daughter make many friends and special memories growing up in such natural surroundings.
Nice suggestion, will keep it in mind