This is about one woman deciding to do something very dramatic and revolutionary in Ireland…taking three acres of wet, rushy, north-facing land and planting trees like her life depended on it…it does!
Bealtaine Cottage smallholding is in the west of Ireland. In May 2004, this was a derelict cottage on a north facing slope of three acres of wet, rushy land. My aim, living alone and without any workforce or helpers, was to create a self-sustaining smallholding designed and constructed on Permaculture Principles. This has included planting over 1,000 deciduous trees including two large orchards, as well as many perennials and bushes. This all supports the developing biodiversity here at Bealtaine Cottage.
Bealtaine Cottage has evolved into an Ark for Nature, with continuous planting and expanding biodiversity. Transforming the cottage interior has meant, wherever possible, the use of re-cycled materials. There is the recent installation of a compost toilet, put in place to ensure waste products are managed on site.
Growing organically produced food includes a continual, all-year round supply from a purpose-built polytunnel.
Potager beds are now in their second year and producing abundantly! The land has transformed from monoculture to Eden. There is a continual, substantial food surplus and this is channelled into the making of wines, jams, pickles, chutney, dried foods and plants.
This approach to living on the Earth, forms the basis of an integrated approach to living with the planet, rather than on the planet.
Spinning is one of my favourite crafts, spinning wool and using the surplus ‘shoddy,’ as a fertiliser and mulch for the land.
Crafting is an ongoing learning curve, necessity being the mother of invention, as proved here with the recycled floor. Cold composting ensures a continual development of seed production!
Bealtaine Cottage and smallholding continues to be developed in keeping with Permaculture ethics. The addition of a wood burning stove in the sitting room and a multi fuel stove in the kitchen, has given free hot water, cooking, baking and central heating from a fire fuelled mostly with wood harvested here.
Over the past 14 years of the Bealtaine Project, Colette has sought to encourage, help and inspire mindfulness for our beautiful world, photographing and writing several thousand blogs on the Bealtaine Cottage site, as well as almost 500 videos on YouTube…all free from advertising!
In 2017 Colette O’Neill became a published author and was granted ‘Artist’ status by the Irish government.
