Dear all, 

Happy New Year! Warmest wishes in this wintry season!

I'm Oliver, a recent grad who's traveling around Ireland for a big part of 2014. The main focus of my trip is learning the ways of the Irish shepherds and life on local cattle or sheep farms. I've looked quite extensively through the WWOOFing and HelpX databases to look for volunteering opportunities - and I have found luck in (only) a few hosts. But I am still continually searching for whatever that would be pertinent to this project. 

Would any of you have offers or suggestions to help me out with my search? Of course it would be extra sweet to actually be hired, but the job market does not seem to be in my (or many's) favor. That's why I've been looking for volunteering opportunities, preferably in a host-family type of living arrangement. As I am learning, I would also appreciate workshops or internships or even just shadowing a professional shepherd. 

I would love it if I can also, through the learning of shepherding, experience or witness a grazing rotation, termed transhumance but I believe booleying in Gaelic. It doesn't seem though that many people I've talked to has heard of the term booleying (or boueling?), but people have referred me to the winterage system on the Burren. Through my stay with my first farm, which is indeed on the Burren, I learned about the whole winterage program that happens there in late October. That's really quite far away from now, haha, so for the purposes of nailing down more recent plans, I would love if someone who knows anything about this and who would be able to shed some light in my quest to share their knowledge with me!

I really appreciate any recommendations, connections, advice - anything - that you guys can give me! Thanks for helping me out! :)

Cheers,
Oliver