Freagh Cottage Residency
Donation protected
(The $2500 donated was put towards big project repairs on the cottage. By keeping the fund open we are hoping to put future donations towards the Freagh Cottage Scholarship Fund. Thank you!)
In 1986, the year I was born, my father purchased a cottage by the sea in Co Clare, Ireland. The whole thing is quite a cute love story, actually. He bought the house for my mother because she was dreaming of owning a house by the sea - an Irish cottage to be exact. It just so happened that he came across an advertisment for the cottage in the New York Times and not too soon after booked a trip to see it.
When he tells the origin story, he always shares that while driving down the lane the skies opened and fingers of sunlight beamed down upon the cottage. He took it as a sign.
(Parents at Freagh, Late 1980s-90s)
But really, we all know that the true story is that I was sending my mom sublimenal dream messages from utero. I mean, come on, look at that happy baby face below! The cottage and I knew we were meant for each other.
With that said, let's move on to love story #2...
(Me as a wee one in the cottage, 1987)
The cottage is a 200-year-old - give or take a few years - stone farmhouse. It has been passed through a few hands and the last person to own it before my dad did some substantial renovations - built dormers on either side of the house, put on a roof, and added a kitchen + bathroom.
(Can you spot my dad fixing the roof?)
My dad, 1st generation Irish-American New Yorker, has done most of the repairs and upkeep of the cottage himself - and with the help of a few buddies. At 84-years-old he is still out there searching for driftwood to burn and unearthing a patio that has been overgrown for 10 years.
(The unearthing of the stone patio, 2018)
In 2013, with the help of incredibly kind and patient people, I recieved my Irish citizenship. In 2016, after 20+ years of hoping and dreaming, the cottage deed was put in my name - even after my dad showed me all the things that could go wrong with owning a house on a sea cliff.
With joy in my heart and a plan in my mind, I have commited myself to taking on this hefty project, a project that I hope will turn out to be something fantastic.
(The sitting room - Celtic mural by a 1-year resident artist)
My plan is to turn this rustic, rural cottage on the Wild Atlantic Coast into a creative residency - Freagh Cottage Residency for Artists + Writers.
It would offer folks 1 month stays in a cottage so close to the sea that you can watch and feel the storms rolling in over the grazing cattle and stonewalls.
From the kitchen window, the Cliffs of Moher and Hagshead - the sea witch, Mal of Malbay - can be seen.
If you are patient and mindful, you just might catch the Selkies dancing on the cliff rocks under the full moon.
I strongly believe that creative minds benefit from wild spaces, and it is my hope to offer up this gem for people from all walks of life to hone their craft and find their voice.
(Matchbox replica of Freagh made by a friend, 2017)
I want Freagh Cottage Residency to have 1-2 people staying at a time, with a scholarship that will cover airfare/travel and provide a stipend for food/household needs. I also hope to hold workshops and work collaboratively with art communities and cultural centers in Ireland and the US.
(View from the house, 2018)
I am looking to you, my dear community, to join me in this journey to make Freagh Cottage available to anyone who wants to stay on the edge of the world and be swept away by it.
Instagram: In Search of a Well
"We are all edge-dwellers, those of us who inhabit this long Atlantic fringe in the far west of the continent of Europe. I have always been drawn to the edges of things, the places where two things collide. Where bog borders riverbank, where meadow merges into forest. Where you stand in the margins of what is behind you and look out across the threshold of the future. The brink of possibilities - will you cross? Edges are transitional places; they are also the best places from which to create something new." - Dr. Sharon Blackie, "If Women Rose Rooted: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging."




Thank you for your support!

In 1986, the year I was born, my father purchased a cottage by the sea in Co Clare, Ireland. The whole thing is quite a cute love story, actually. He bought the house for my mother because she was dreaming of owning a house by the sea - an Irish cottage to be exact. It just so happened that he came across an advertisment for the cottage in the New York Times and not too soon after booked a trip to see it.
When he tells the origin story, he always shares that while driving down the lane the skies opened and fingers of sunlight beamed down upon the cottage. He took it as a sign.
(Parents at Freagh, Late 1980s-90s)But really, we all know that the true story is that I was sending my mom sublimenal dream messages from utero. I mean, come on, look at that happy baby face below! The cottage and I knew we were meant for each other.
With that said, let's move on to love story #2...
(Me as a wee one in the cottage, 1987)The cottage is a 200-year-old - give or take a few years - stone farmhouse. It has been passed through a few hands and the last person to own it before my dad did some substantial renovations - built dormers on either side of the house, put on a roof, and added a kitchen + bathroom.
(Can you spot my dad fixing the roof?)My dad, 1st generation Irish-American New Yorker, has done most of the repairs and upkeep of the cottage himself - and with the help of a few buddies. At 84-years-old he is still out there searching for driftwood to burn and unearthing a patio that has been overgrown for 10 years.
(The unearthing of the stone patio, 2018)In 2013, with the help of incredibly kind and patient people, I recieved my Irish citizenship. In 2016, after 20+ years of hoping and dreaming, the cottage deed was put in my name - even after my dad showed me all the things that could go wrong with owning a house on a sea cliff.
With joy in my heart and a plan in my mind, I have commited myself to taking on this hefty project, a project that I hope will turn out to be something fantastic.
(The sitting room - Celtic mural by a 1-year resident artist)My plan is to turn this rustic, rural cottage on the Wild Atlantic Coast into a creative residency - Freagh Cottage Residency for Artists + Writers.
It would offer folks 1 month stays in a cottage so close to the sea that you can watch and feel the storms rolling in over the grazing cattle and stonewalls.
From the kitchen window, the Cliffs of Moher and Hagshead - the sea witch, Mal of Malbay - can be seen.
If you are patient and mindful, you just might catch the Selkies dancing on the cliff rocks under the full moon.
I strongly believe that creative minds benefit from wild spaces, and it is my hope to offer up this gem for people from all walks of life to hone their craft and find their voice.
(Matchbox replica of Freagh made by a friend, 2017)I want Freagh Cottage Residency to have 1-2 people staying at a time, with a scholarship that will cover airfare/travel and provide a stipend for food/household needs. I also hope to hold workshops and work collaboratively with art communities and cultural centers in Ireland and the US.
(View from the house, 2018)I am looking to you, my dear community, to join me in this journey to make Freagh Cottage available to anyone who wants to stay on the edge of the world and be swept away by it.
Instagram: In Search of a Well
"We are all edge-dwellers, those of us who inhabit this long Atlantic fringe in the far west of the continent of Europe. I have always been drawn to the edges of things, the places where two things collide. Where bog borders riverbank, where meadow merges into forest. Where you stand in the margins of what is behind you and look out across the threshold of the future. The brink of possibilities - will you cross? Edges are transitional places; they are also the best places from which to create something new." - Dr. Sharon Blackie, "If Women Rose Rooted: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging."
Thank you for your support!
Organizer
CM Down
Organizer
Shelburne, MA
