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Éirí, est. 2015

Éirí, a quiet private estate, in the far South-west of County Cork, Ireland, is part of the beautiful rugged nature reserve which stretches along the south coast from Ballyrisode to Barleycove. Situated some 10 kms short of Mizen Head, the most south-westerly point of mainland Ireland. Facing south on the Atlantic coast.
Éirí an sean Domhan, is the full name of this 5 plus hectares estate, which intends to become a center for retreats, inspiration, meeting of like-minded. A place for friends to meet; to do spiritual work, go within; or work on something together in a concentrated manner, away from the world in the middle of awesomely beautiful and inspiring nature.
Éirí an Adam Nua is the name of the buildings (main house, Workshop and cabins). There is a duality to all of life, here symbolized in the two names for the two parts of Éirí.

Éirí is Irish for Wake up, Revive, Become. Éirí an sean Domhan (estate) translates to Revive the old World, Kingdom; Éirí an Adam Nua (buildings) equates to Become the new Adam (e.g. Man, Human), indicating that reviving the old world does not imply going back to living in the caves, but to become the new man (human) who learns to live in harmony in and with nature; being part of nature rather than being above nature (subduing, poisoning and terminating it) as our civilization's story has become during the last few centuries.
Our community advocates organics and the principles of permaculture: care of the land, the people and their souls, by means of positive examples; healthy design of our lives, homes and land. With the application of Gentle forces.

Here is a bit of a pictorial story of the goings on since then, as well as how we got here and how things look now.
Getting access by breaking away part of the big rock at the entrance, clearing the overgrowth in places, upgrading the pathways, erection of the workshop, making a home for communal activities; creating beauty, harmony and peace, for (hu)man/creature and nature.

Misson Statement

Duality is a reality of our daily lives; enlightenment which we hope to evolve to entails experiencing the one-ness of all.
For now it is clear for all who have eyes to see that humanity is swiftly heading toward annihilation of all. One can deny global warming, at least doubt humanity as the main causing factor. However that will not save most of us from perishing in the foreseeable future. We need to work on ourselves, take responsibility, work out new models for living together, as humans amongst each other and between species and even different realms. There are whole fields of devastating pollution we have caused and still are causing we are not even or hardly aware of. Take the pollution of the astral realm or aspect with our incessant negative emotions. Take the harm we are causing to ourselves by bad habits; bat eating, bad thinking, never stopping rambling of thoughts that keep us locked in the reality we are in.

Éirí hopes to be a different place than the rest of the world, a different world. A place apart. A place to heal. A testing ground. A hotbed. A place where people come to find and meet themselves, their real selves by finding the stillness inside, reconnect with their roots, their spiritual essence. A place to go for meditation and/or yoga retreats. Also a place where like-minded to find new solutions, new ways will be meeting up in the inspiring awesomeness of unspoiled nature at the south Atlantic coast. To find inspiration in the stillness in nature and inside oneself. To meet up for workshops, retreats and conferences.
For artists to retreat from the hurly-burly of daily business of life and go into silence, to go deep into their own inspiration and work or prepare for work on their art, or even paint, record their music, etc. As the arts are at the core and lifeblood of our culture, our humanity. The food for our souls. The inspiration towards greatness.
Éirí offers and aims to be a podium, a refuge from the world - albeit temporarily for most - to work on progress from the self to the Self, progress for humanity. As you grow yourself, you help humanity grow.

It is planned that a Trust will be set up to guarantee the continuity of the realization of the plans also in the long term.

The estate was in a bad state of care and maintenance, after having been for sale for some 10 years; the last families of inhabitants of the old ways, growing their own food on little plots next to their clay-cemented stone houses, had left in the early sixties and since the land had not been cultivated. After that briefly it was inhabited by one family, who built the brick house.

We acquired this fairly unspoiled estate at last on May 7, 2015, after some 25 years of worldwide searching. We had finally found our potential piece of paradise on earth, to build in material and spiritual form our dreams into reality. To create our own little version of the ideal world. We realise no ideal can be reached without compromises. If only because ideal is not always affordable and one needs to find a cheaper way to at least get nearer to the ideal way. We are still learning and working hard to find our ways start food-growing and build accommodation, facilities and services to be ready to receive groups.

South-West Cork

A Place Near Heaven - a year in West Cork - by Damien Enright published 2004, Gill & Macmillan Introduction

West Cork is heaven for the amateur naturalist. The air is clean, the sea unpolluted, every spring-time hedge is a lexicon of wildflowers, every rock a confection of lichens. Summers are full of mackerel and butterflies, village festivals and horse races on the sands. Autumn brings berries and mushrooms, wild redwings and fieldfares from Scandinavia, and flocks of 5,000 golden plover spiralling over our local bay. In November the arrival of the sprat shoals signals a wild life spectacular, with seals and gannets and every kind of diving duck. At Christmas, once every few years, there may be the magic of snow. I have written about all these things and the pleasure of living with them. With no background in botany or biology but a life-long love of nature, I have learned about them as I went, full of wonder and constantly surprised. (...)

This part of Ireland, the west and the extreme south-west, has a weather system of its own; it is never really cold and only for short spells is it ever really dry. The natural vegetation is a delight; wild palm trees, fuchsia and rhododendron thrive. Year round, humpback, fin, blue, sei and minke whales, dolphins and porpoises migrate along the coast. In summer, basking sharks, ocean sunfish and even turtles dift by on the temperate Gulf Stream sea. Our West Cork neighbours are a passionate and convivial people, confident and independent, Catholic and pagan, Celtic and imaginative, hospitable and neighbourly. In adversity their first resort is a sense of humour. Work is always there, woven into life, the building of houses, the harvesting of the sea, the husbandry of animals, the setting and reaping of crops; it is not a nine-to-five affair. "When God made time, he made plenty of it...", they say.

"Suer it is yett a most bewtifull and sweete Country as any under Heaven, seamed throughout with many Godlie rivers, replenished with all sortes of fishe most aboundantlie..." - Edmond Spenser, poet and planter, county Cork, 1596