Our day started out at Mulroy Meadows Farm, where we had a tour of the farm with the owners and operators, Cathal and Michelle. Mulroy Meadows Farm is a regenerative farm that produces pasture-raised eggs, forest-raised traditional breed pork, and grass-fed beef. They also do tours and other educational events like the one we attended today because they both believe that education about farming and the food you consume is important. They also said that these tours are a way to show that small farming operations are a valid career, even when many say they are not. The farm is holistically managed, ensuring that all animals live chemical-free lives with the freedom to roam and express their natural behaviours.
After the farm tour, we meet with Annette at the gift shop in Carrigart who explained how her business runs and that the business season is highly seasonal with the occasional shopping in December before Christmas, but if she does not due well in the peak season the off season will be tough which is why it is important to her that we are here to try and find some solutions. From the gift shop, we had lunch at the Carrigart Hotel and got to see all of the renovations done on it.
After lunch, we walked around Carrigart while Brandon gave us a tour and some history background, like how the park we visited was one of the best and that the President of Ireland officially opened it in 2010. Once we got a basic tour, we set off in three random groups to complete a scavenger hunt. During the scavenger hunt, we got to talk with locals, and I had an interesting conversation with a grandma, her grandkids, and their mom, who talked about their favorite things to do in Carrigart are horseback riding and getting ice cream at the local grocery store. While my group might have been last to come back we still won the game and I feel that its because we went around the town and really tried to find unique things especially talking with the people who live there.
From the scavenger hunt, we went to g-teic, the co-working space, and had a talk with Majella and others who worked there about what g-teic does not only as a business, but for the community. They talked about how they might offer desk spaces with high-speed internet, and they also offer other services. Majella described that they offer different classes at night in the off season, which is funded through government grants as well, and they have a bathroom with a shower if people want to go do outdoor adventures on lunch breaks, but still be good for the rest of the day. She also discussed how they help older people in the community with technology whenever they need it which creates a sense of community.
After the co-working space, we ate a quick dinner at the boardwalk, which was quite nice, but I was shocked at just how drastic the tide is here when I saw that there was not close water to the boardwalk, even though you could tell it was there earlier. After dinner, we had an Irish dancing lesson with a local teacher. We learned a few dances and got to do them with music. Finishing off the night, we got sweet treats following the Irish dance lesson.
When looking at all of the businesses in Carrigart, the farm, and the coworking space paint a picture of a community that is both traditional and progressive. It values its natural environment and agricultural roots, as seen in Mulroy Meadow Farm, while also actively investing in its future through technology and innovation, as demonstrated by g-teic. This balance suggests a resilient community that is able to adapt to a changing world without losing its core identity.