Basket making for the first time

Basket making for the first time

Last weekend we ran our inaugural willow basket making course with tutor Sabine Wolniczak, and unlike most courses that we run here, I was able to join in – my first attempt at basket making. I have to say I’ve got the bug, as having not made the time to turn bowls for a long time, it was great to make something with my hands once again.

Out with the old, in with the – old

Out with the old, in with the – old

A few miles from us in Ballyward, is the blacksmith’s forge of the Walker brothers. Gates have been made there and horses shod for generations, and Walker made gates a century old are still in use and good repair. Gate styles are very distintive things, and I hope that someone has taken the time to research them properly, though I can find nothing online.

Green woodworking courses 2016

Green woodworking courses 2016

We are pleased to be able to offer a series of green woodworking courses, with Steve Ryan, of Green Woodwork Ireland. Steve is an incredibly talented green woodworker who teaches extensively, and is passionate about his craft. Courses are £80 per person, which...
The woven fence is finished

The woven fence is finished

So after a week, the wonderful woven birch fence is complete (at least for now – we have used up all the material), and it looks really fine. It is amazing how much birch was needed to create the fence, but now as we coppice the birch woodland, we’ll cut...
Weaving a fence

Weaving a fence

  Isabelle and Josiane have come from Quebec, Canada to volunteer on the farm for 3 weeks, and having spend days clearing and mulching young trees, they are turning their attentions to creating a fence from the piles of birch trimmings that have been sitting in...