Birch Cottage has a new website of its own
Visit the Birch Cottage website to bookWelcome to Lackan Cottage Farm
We’re Steve and Claire Golemboski-Byrne, we live here off grid with our daughter, our dog, cats and horses. We make all our own energy using wind and solar, grow as much of our own food as we can (it varies widely) and have used permaculture design principles to help us create a great place to live.
Here on the website you’ll find stories about the projects we’ve undertaken – what works, what doesn’t. You can come stay in our guest cottage – Birch Cottage and we will show you round, or maybe you just want to find out how to do some of this stuff. Either way, welcome.
What a summer
As we come to Mabon - the Autumn equinox, our busy season draws to a close, and the place has quietened down as our band of volunteers head off, and we host the last events before we take a break. Last weekend's course - 'Finding You - A Journey Home' with Micheal de...
A weekend of permaculture
Last weekend saw the second Permaculture course to be run here at Lackan Cottage Farm, with tutor Hannah Mole, and guest appearance by Heiko Vermeulen who came to lead a foraging walk on the Saturday. After an opening circle and a session to get to know each...
Refugee crisis – how you can help
Sometimes it is astonishing how a single moment defines a tipping point in our lives. This week it has surely been the heartbreaking image of the body of a three year old boy washed up on a beach as his family flee Syria. That it took such a thing to happen is...
I’m no expert, but….
So twice this week I've had conversations with people who said something along the lines of "Well I'm no expert but really solar isn't much good here in Northern Ireland because unless its really sunny they don't work and its never really sunny here so why bother....
Amazing reedmace
In researching what type of reeds were best suited for our new reedbeds, I discovered that the humble reedmace - or Bulrush as many people know it, is a quite remarkable plant. It is hardy, frost resistant, likes wet ground, and can remove high levels of toxins from...
Horizontal flow reedbeds
Horizontal flow reedbed All the water from baths, showers and sinks comes through our reed bed, which filters and cleans the water, before it passes to our pond. This means it is important to avoid putting any chemicals down the sink, and why we provide ecologically...