The radio silence of the last month marked a period of intense contemplation, which resulted in a u-turn for the ‘mothership’ and me. As I write, I am in Wales. I arrived from Ireland yesterday.
I went to Emerald Isle to investigate building the Earth Collective there, a self-sufficient, community eco project. I fell in love with Ireland, in particular, the south-west. I found a tribe of like-minded souls, growing their own food, living mostly off-grid, spiritually aware and cognisant of what is really happening in the world. And we had some memorable times.
Having cycled most of West Cork looking for the right location for the project, I narrowed it down to one of three spectacular, unspoiled valleys within reach of the coast. I dropped flyers in letterboxes, knocked on doors and met many interesting characters (both indigenous and interlopers), proving once again that you should never make assumptions about anyone based on their appearance, or that of their house. Eventually, I located a parcel of land which seemed to fit the bill. Finding the owner was another matter. No-one knew, or maybe they just weren’t telling?!
A search at the Irish Land Registry provided a name and, by asking around, I discovered that the person had died a long time ago, though there had been no change to the title deeds. A distant family member was grazing sheep on the land, and he was not willing to sell. This is not uncommon in rural Ireland. There are often family complications (and feuds) associated with land ownership, coupled with an irrational reluctance to sell. I think the latter probably goes back to the famine, and also the fact that the Irish haven’t owned land for very long (only a hundred years), given British occupation before that. All very frustrating, and an extra challenge I hadn’t anticipated.
Another issue, in the last few months, has been the rain! Day and night, relentless, for what seemed like weeks at a time, pounding the roof of the mothership and flooding the local area, with few breaks to go cycling. I was beginning to wonder if I should re-assess the challenges of building an Earth-ship’esque community in such wet conditions……
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NB. I post short ‘Notes’ on my life and times in between blogs, which can be found in the top navigation of my Substack. More content can be found on my website, including wonderful pictures of my travels in Ireland, also information on my book, ‘The Ultimate Relationship… the one with yourself’. If you like my work, please help me to spread the word. I don't use social media and rely on word of mouth. Thank you.
Crikey! Thanks for that. So lovely to hear. I am pleased to have provided inspiration. We all need as much of it as we can get, especially today. It's what I endeavour to do and a pleasure to get your feedback.
Why, thank you Andrew. I will keep you posted, naturally!