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.
Plastering in the roundhouse
This weekend we had lots of help here at the roundhouse - Jim, Mark, Helen, Michael, Alexey, Steven and Denise did a fine job and we finished off all the lime-hemp plaster that we have, so 3 out of 5 wall panels now have a scratch coat of plaster. Michael and Mark...
Growing Connections video
I'd forgotten about this excellent video that was made about the work that goes on here on the farm as Growing Connections. Just a 2 minute clip of the larger video, but it gives you a flavour of the place.
Straw Bale Veg Growing
Courtesy of Permaculture Ideas. "Straw bales (not hay bales) are a great place to plant vegetables. Here's my start-to-finish results! The straw is an easy, loose place for the plants to spread out their roots. Also, up on the straw bale there is essentially ZERO...
Roundhouse volunteers
Many thanks to Steven, Belinda, Denise, Alexey, Jim and James for helping out today. It is great to see the inside ready for plastering - it looks fantastic, and to have got the cladding under way. Several people have asked what the roundhouse is for.. Well, sadly we...
A visit to Isengard
Photo copyright Jorge Bacani Today we visited a tower that is plainly Isengard, but which locals insist on calling Scrabo Tower. It's visible from everywhere around us here, and the view from the top is stunning. From away over here on the farm, it stands silhouetted...
Greenwashing
Great video, so do feel free to share as freely as possible.