My mother’s family were farmers, so when I heard about Siggy Buckley’s blog tour about her book on organic farming, I Once Had A Farm In Ireland, I wanted to hop on. As well, since half my debut novel takes place in Ireland, I was naturally intrigued. And then, there’s the whole business of organic foods. I studied foods and nutrition on my way to earning a Bachelor of Home Economics degree, so I’ve always been concerned about the quality of food we eat.
When I mentioned to my family that I was going to post about Siggy’s book, they said her book sounded like an Irish take on that very popular book, My Year in Provence. It turns out like that one, Siggy Buckley’s book is also a memoir. Now, who doesn’t like books about travel, adventure, and occupation in interesting countries? So, please read and enjoy, I Once Had A Farm In Ireland: Living The Organic Lifestyle Available from Amazon.com
About the book:
A wheelbarrow, a cable drum, gardening tools, and a pickaxe are unusual items on a wedding registry. They are what Mac and Siggy, a German professional couple, need to fulfill their dream of organic gardening. When Chernobyl blows up a few years later, they are scared enough to undertake fundamental changes in the lives of their young family to seek a simpler and healthier lifestyle in an unspoiled country.
They buy a farm in Tipperary, Ireland. They give up their jobs, friends and home to raise their children in an unpolluted environment. Although Siggy shares her husband’s environmental convictions, she would prefer a warmer climate, maybe an olive farm in Tuscany.
A period of intense learning and acquiring new skills follows: how to raise chickens, pluck geese, breed cattle and sheep, and how to grow all kinds of vegetables. Soon they find out that farming means a never ending workload. They almost kill themselves ─and each other─ to produce healthy food.
I Once Had A Farm In Ireland not only gives advice for budding organic gardeners but it is also the story of a woman who sacrifices her own ideals for the sake of her family until she discovers her own dreams.
For more on the author: Siggy Buckley, you can visit her website
She’s also on Goodreads and on Twitter @Hernibs.
Educated in Germany with a Master’s Degree in English, Siggy Buckley lived in Ireland for over 15 years, first teaching at the University of Limerick as an adjunct professor, while building up an organic farm. She later ran her own businesses in Dublin before coming to the USA in 2003. In 2005, Siggy married an American and pursued her life-long dream of writing.
After reading all of the above, aren’t your curious? I certainly am.
