Dates confirmed. Participant costs: € 300

The Owners

Georg and Angelika emigrated from Germany in 1992, since then they have been pioneering biodynamic agriculture in the west of Ireland. Since 1998 they have been living and working on the family farm and gardens in Gortaniska County Clare, where the Burren limestone plateau leads down to the rugged Atlantic Ocean. Some time ago they acquired land in Glendree, at the north-western tip of Ireland.

The Vision

The vision is to create a biodynamic centre here. Georg and Angelika do not wish to farm the land intensively as it is not suitable and would mean the destruction of much of the natural beauty of the place. Rather it is a place where the forces of nature and man can strike a balance, where biodynamics can be practiced and explored and this interesting land be brought to bear the fruits it is meant to. The land will also serve as host to social events and gatherings, be they farm walks, preparation meetings, seminars, or celebrating festivals.

The Land

The land at Glendree is a beautiful and wild 13 hectares. Bordered at the lower part by a river, the land here is wet and supports some unique flora and fauna. The upper fields are dryer and suitable for grazing. The whole place has been growing wild for the past years before Georg and Angelika bought it. Many trees and shrubs have begun to migrate from the hedges into the fields and gorse (a common invasive weed) has been spreading unchecked. There are no permanent buildings yet and the paths are those created by the animals, although it is easily accessible from the road.

What’s to be done?

First of all the place needs some maintenance. That means cutting hedges, brambles, small trees, and gorse. Stone walls need to be repaired and some new fences put up. Drains need to be cleaned or made completely new. A track needs to be built in order to be able to put up a light structure so that people can start staying

there. This also means building compost toilets and washing facilities. A hydraulic ram pump needs to be constructed to pump the water from the river aroundthe land. Plenty of work for now!

Having the craic