Basketry and Organic Farm

Description

Martin and Yvonne O’Flynn’s farm is full of life. Goats greet you at the gate. Geese and peacocks roam the grounds in resolute freedom. Pigs peek from pens. All this walking life is a testament to the vitality of their farm – and to the freshness of the foods they sell.

The organic vegetables, eggs, and meats are all raised on the farm. We took home half a dozen eggs and shallots and cooked up a tasty scramble.

However, the real pull for me was the Basketry I saw advertised from the roadside signs. I wanted to see this art form in its natural environment – the Irish countryside. Martin was very kind to talk to us and show us what they do. He and his wife have been making baskets for over 18 years. They hand collect the willow, selecting branches the colors of sea fading to rock and leaf to soil. They soak the branches to make them pliable, and then weave them into baskets, chairs, trays, and even a guitars using traditional or contemporary techniques.

If you would like to learn the art of basket making, the O’Flynns run courses year-round. Please phone for more details.

How to get there

By car:

Trust the signs. They are strategically place to take you straight to the farm. From Glengariff or Bantry, follow signs from Glengarriff-Bantry N71 road. They read “Basketry and Organic Farm,” and direct you to a farm 5 miles off the main road.

Opening times

Open daily throughout the year.

Address

Martin and Yvonne O’Flynn

Basketry and Organic Farm

Maughanasilly, Kealkill

Bantry, Co. Cork

Tel: (0)27 66111