Photos: Donal O’Leary
Mitchelstown farmer, Pat Mulcahy, owner and proprietor of Ballinwillin House, is developing a garden devoted to mindfulness, which will be unveiled next month as part of the Old Butter Roads programme of events!
Pat decided to create the holistic garden on his property in response to the mental and physical aftermath of the worst Winter he has experienced since his move from Dublin to Cork 40 years ago.
The former West Limerick man has the only combined organic farmed venison and wild boar farm in Ireland the UK and operates a B&B in the eighteenth century house and courtyard wing, which hosts guests from all over the world.
“Every morning I meet individuals from all walks of life,” explained Pat. “It has become more and more obvious to me from our early morning conversations that there is an increasing need to nourish the body with good food and allow time for the mind to relax. I practice mindfulness daily and it is essential to help me start and end the day on a positive note. Last year we created a Thinking Path on the property for guests to enjoy and I am confident the mindfulness garden will be a welcome addition.”
The mindfulness garden will be launched during the 2018 Old Butter Roads closing events when Bryan McCarthy from Greene’s Restaurant and Cask, takes up residence in the Ballinwillin kitchens. The award-winning chef will use ingredients from the locality and team them with the venison and wild boar, who are literally on the doorstep of Ballinwillin, to create a selection of dishes that will be paired with wines from the Mulcahy family’s vineyard in Hungary.
On Friday June 8 a wine tasting session in the wine cellar will be followed by a bao bun supper in the onsite wine barn and on Saturday June 9 food writer Aoife McElwain will host a workshop. The author of Slow at Work – How to Work Less, Achieve More and Regain Your Balance in an Always-On World will discuss her book and interview Pat to find out more about his journey from West Limerick to wine making and how he incorporates meditation into his everyday life. Aoife penned her book as a way of recovering from her own personal experience with burnout and has begun to learn the importance of knowing when to go fast and when to go slow.
Booking for events is essential by contacting Ballinwillin House on 025 84979. Visit the Ballinwillin House Farm Facebook page for more details.
