Hi from Bill

[bill1953]

Hi my name is Bill. I am restoring a 200 year old cottage in Mayo. It has about 3/4 acre of land with it. My people are country people from East Cork near Ballymacoda although by the time I was born we had relocated to Dublin. Now I am returning to the land. I bought this cottage after checking out dozens all over Ireland, some in a better condition and a lot in worse. The sad thing in Ireland is the amount of cottages which have become derilict or been knocked down and replaced by bungalows. That's why I want to save this one.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Hello.

[okra]

Welcome to ish and best wishes for your project

[Milims]

Hi there and welcome

[demi]

helloooo!

[Penny Lane]

Hello Bill! Welcome to Ish

[bill1953]

Hi everyone. It is a really brilliant site. Lot's of useful stuff. I am going to start with veg, fruit, chickens and then goats and hopefully bees. The previous owner who lived there ninety seven years kept 200 free range hens on the land. Don't think I could manage that on my own. I eggs cooked every way possible but there's no way I could get through 200 a day.

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

200 hens will have made the land really fertile & (hopefully) cleared a lot of nasties like wire worm & leather jacket.

MW

[merlin]

Hi Bill, good luck with that

[baldybloke]

Hi Bill. Welcome to ish. I've been over to Ireland many times and love the place, all except for the taste in architecture. Bungalows that look like something from the Ponderosa look unattractive on such a stunning landscape. Glad to see you are going to restore what I would expect will be a beautiful cottage.

[bill1953]

Thanks for the welcome. Sadly too many roadside cottages have gone in Ireland to be replaced by huge bungalows. This will not be one of them. I am going to keep it as 18th century as I can.

[Thomzo]

Hi and welcome

Good luck with the project, it sounds wonderful. Do please post some pictures as you go along. We're a nosey bunch here.

Zoe

[Potter's Farm]

Hi Bill, we've done the same as you, been here 11 months now would never go back to 'normal' life. Good luck, Lisa x

[bill1953]

Thanks Lisa,

My family are from your corner of Ireland, Ballymacoda, East Cork. I come from Dublin, lived in England, then Wales, then England, Then the Ise of Man, England again and now home to Ireland. My eldest daughter made the move first to County Antrim and I have bought in Mayo and will move permanently once I sell this cottage in England. Would have gone back to Ireland years ago only I had a wife who didn't want to go. Then she said 'Choose me or Ireland!' It's nice being single again.

[bill1953]

Hi and welcome

Good luck with the project, it sounds wonderful. Do please post some pictures as you go along. We're a nosey bunch here.

Zoe

This one of the bedrooms and the main room. Not changed very much since the 18th century. The fireplace has been made smaller but I will open it up again and the 'crane' for the cooking pot lies hidden behind and you can see the arm of it if you look up the chimney.

First a big clear out and clean up is needed. Last occupant lived here 1911 to 2008! The alcove to the right of the picture is where young children would sleep in a cradle, now it has had doors put on but then would have just had a curtain. This was typical of Irish cottages of this age.