Irish Farmers

Host Profile

Meet Teresa.  She is a widowed mother of four children, three of whom are already out of the house, either starting their careers or in University.  Her husband, Richard, passed away over a decade ago in a farming accident.  

Location

Balbriggan, Ireland

 

Degree of Separation

Teresa is a distant cousin on my grandmother's side who I have personally known since 2012.  My Mother's Great Grandfather, Anthony J.  was the half brother of her great grandfather.  

Modes of Transport

Teresa lives out in the country and therefore needs her car daily.  The train and  Dublin Airport are not very far from her house.  With a ride to either location you can have access to much of the country.  

Food

Teresa is an excellent cook.  The  largest room in the house is the kitchen, which seems to be the heart of the home.  With a table large enough to fit 10-14 guests it seems to be where family discussions take place daily.  The main centerpiece of the kitchen, though, is her Aga. This is a unique item not found in most Irish homes. Fueled by propane gas, the Aga serves as her stove, oven, the home's main source of central heating and home's water heater.  She also has a large pantry room which houses all of her canned and dry goods, a refrigerator/freezer (with another one in the kitchen) and a butcher block table for food preparation.  

For her food sources, she gathers eggs from her chicken coop, local farmers often give her fresh produce and when she goes to the local grocery store in Balbriggan she tries to buy locally produced items.  I thoroughly enjoyed her homemade scones which she made fresh daily.  Being a loving mother, she will often cook meals to bring to her children while they are away at University.  

Housing

Teresa built her house using the building plans that she and her husband had completed before his passing.  It seems to me a typical style of home seen across the Irish countryside.  A grey two story, rectangular building made out of cement and brick.  There are high ceilings on the first two floors.  Unusual for many homes in Ireland, they also have a third floor where the boys' room is located.  In the back of the house, off the kitchen, there is an octagonal sun room overlooking their land.  

Pets

They have a family dog named Mac who is some sort of Shepard mix.  He has full rein of the land but doesn't seem to wander far.  When inside with the family he likes to lay on the rug in front of the small wood burning stove.  They also own chickens.  

Hobbies, Current Events

Teresa is actively involved in the community and church, singing in the choir. She is a prominent figure in the farming community.  She also loves crafts and is currently finishing numerous quilts.  The children all love to travel, one of the girls plays field hockey and the boys were big into competitive sailing during their secondary school years.  The youngest has just received his drivers license and will be heading off to University next year.    

Hosts favorite part of living in Ireland

The close knit community with neighbors always lending a helping hand.  And no matter where you are in Ireland, you will know somebody.  

What I learned...

• The process for students to get into University in Ireland and how it differs from the US
  • Each student chooses their top three Universities they would like to attend as well as what they would like to study.  They then have to pass the Entry Requirements to be chosen by the University.  From what I understood, this occurs merely weeks before University begins.  
• The difference between a Dairy (where the cows are milked) and a Creamery (where the milk is processed)
• The difficulties for young farmers trying to make a living in Ireland
  • This article: "Wasting Money on Young Farmers",  explains things a lot better than I ever could.
• The difference between "Gaelic" and "Irish"
  • Gaelic is a broad term referring to Celtic languages and cultures whereas Irish more precisely refers to the language spoken by the Irish people.  (Gaelic vs Irish)
  • Not atypically, Teresa's children all attended an Irish Language immersion camp for a number of years where they stayed with host families in the west.
  • Here is an interesting article about the revival of the Irish language
• What an Aga is.  
  • An Aga is a cast iron, heat stove cooker.  It seems to take a lot of practice to know how long food need to cook for as there is no temperature setting and each plate and oven box is a different temperature.  (Aga Cooker)