No guests = nothing to do?

November has been the first month since February this year without guests here at Millknock Farm. Far from giving us any time off, it simply gives us the time to keep the house looking it's best. For most of the year all we can do is clean, maintain the garden, and keep up with any urgent bits of maintenance work (replacing smoke alarms, fixing leaky taps, etc). So, it is now that the bigger jobs, like decorating can be done. The back bunk bedroom has had a new window board fitted, and has been decorated. The downstairs double bedroom has also been repainted. Next on the to-do list is to paint the kitchen, and give it a spring clean.
It is also during these quiet times that we get the chance to make sure everything is working properly. We don't have the time to check everything every week, so unless somebody complains we have to assume everything is working. This week we discovered that the cd player wasn't working, so it has now been replaced with a new cd/radio/i-pod dock.

We grow for you!

Yes, that is an old toilet and cistern on the patio! We don't waste anything here at Millknock Farm, and after replacing the toilet in the house this year we found a new use for the old one! It was thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant before being filled with compost, and tomato plants placed in it. The tomatoes on these plants are just starting to ripen now, with the first one picked last week.

This picture shows the herbs (from left to right: Thyme, Parsley, Oregano, Chives) growing in the old tyres in the back yard.

And here is the rosemary plant growing in the flower bed beside the patio.

Through the years.

The farmhouse at Millknock was built some time in the late 18th or early 19th century. We can't be sure exactly when, but we do have evidence of the Boxwell family (distant relatives) living here as far back as the 1840's. The house originally had a thatched roof, like so many of the houses in the area at that time.
For more than 100 years very little about the house changed.
However, in the 20th century the world was changing, and the house had to be updated to reflect this.
The 1950's saw the introduction of electricity for the first time, and this was the beginning of many changes over the next 60 years.
In 1970 the rear extension was built to accommodate an indoor toilet and bathroom in the farmhouse for the first time. The sun room at the front of the house was also rebuilt at this time.
In 1978 the old thatched roof was removed. While a thatched roof looks very pretty, it is highly impractical - insurance costs are too high because of the risk of fire, it needs re-thatching every 2 years, and it is an ideal home for birds and mice. The height of the walls was also raised to provide more headroom in the upstairs accommodation, and more (and bigger) windows were built to bring more light in upstairs, before a new slate roof was constructed. Central heating was installed in the house at this time also. Prior to this there had been just one radiator (at the top of the stairs), a range cooker in the kitchen, and an open fire in the living room.
In 1998 the kitchen was replaced, the central heating was upgraded, and a second bathroom was installed. Throughout the past 30 years work has been ongoing on the gardens, which were originally part of a field.
The pictures below were taken in the 1800's, and the 1970's.

Wexford Opera Festival 2011

The 60th Wexford Opera Festival takes place over 16 days from Friday 21st Oct to Saturday 5th Nov. With so much more than just opera, including an eclectic Fringe Festival with art exhibitions, antiques fair, music, drama and much more. Contact Millknock Farm for great value accommodation!

Wexford Rally 2011

The Dick Bailey Stages Rally takes place this year on the 10th and 11th of September. For the first time 2008 there will be rally cars staying at Millknock Farm, as the team from Express Motors in Wales return to take part in the rally.

Upcoming events

The Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival starts on Thursday the 7th of July and runs until Sunday the 10th. Great fun for all the family, and of course lots of delicious local seafood!

Thursday the 14th of July will se the 62nd staging of the Bannow & Rathangan Show at Killag, Duncormick. Featuring a full range of animals on show, including a pets corner, along with cookery, crafts, flowers, farm produce, vintage display and amusements.

Our most frequent visitors!

For more than thirty years housemartins have been returning to Millknock Farm for the summer months to raise their young. This year is no exception, with more of them returning than in previous years. This picture shows them building their third new nest. Add this to to the two nests that were left from last year, and there are now five families of housemartins nesting in the eaves of the farmhouse.
Be carefull where you walk around the house, they do make quite a mess!

We grow for you!

A lick of paint and some compost from our compost heap have turned some old tyres that were lying around into a herb garden in the back yard. Chives and oregano have so far been planted, with parsley and thyme to be added as soon as they are ready for planting outdoors. A rosemary bush has also been added to one of the flower beds.
As well as this, we have two tomato plants grown from seed that are almost ready to be planted out. These are going to be planted in the toilet that was replaced during the renovation work last winter (it has been disinfected!), on the patio, and should provide fresh tomatoes throughout July, August and September.

Accommodation available 2012 National Ploughing Championships in Wexford

It was announced this week that the 2012 National Ploughing Championships will be held in Heathpark, Balinaboola, New Ross, Co. Wexford. This will be just 25 miles (40Kms) from Millknock Farm. With sleeping accommodation for up to 12 people in 10 beds, you won't find better value self catering accommodation in Wexford. See http://www.millknockfarm.com/Prices.html for a full price list.
Exhibitors and ploughing competitors are welcome - arrangements can be made for access to the secure farmyard for truck parking.

Farming at Millknock.

We often get asked if Millknock Farm is a working farm, and the answer is yes, and no!
Millknock farm was an intensive dairy and beef production farm. Facing new regulations, which required significant investment, and lower milk prices, the dairy herd was sold in 1998. Beef production continued until 2001, with our herd of purebred Limousine cattle. Since then the farmyard is largely disused, and the land has been rented out to a number of different farmers.
Most of the land is still in pasture, split between two different farmers. The land across the road from the house is rented by a local dairy farmer, and his cows can be seen here grazing from time to time. The land below the farmyard, and the small field beside the house, are rented by a local sheep and beef farmer. Again, these animals are only here from time to time, and we cannot guarantee when these times will be. The field that can be seen from the kitchen window, and another large field beyond it (which can be seen from the front windows upstairs) are rented by a local arable farmer. This year there is wheat in the small field, and potatoes in the large field. Once the planting is complete in March, the only activity to be seen before harvest in August/September, is the occasional visit from the sprayer. Those guests that are staying here during harvest can avail of free potatoes during their stay!
As well as this, we grow all of our own fruit and vegetables here at Millknock Farm. From the back windows of the house a polytunnel and a fruit cage can be seen. In these we grow, amongst other things, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, lettuce, spring onions, potatoes and peppers. In our garden we have more gooseberries, apples, rhubarb, peas, broad beans, French beans, carrots, parsnips, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, garlic, onions, and more! This keeps us self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables for most of the year. During the summer months, when the harvest is in, our guests usually have the bonus of fresh, home-grown, fruit and vegetables (at no extra charge), as we give away our surplus! We also use the fruit from the garden to make our own range of jam. This jam cannot be bought in the shops, and is available exclusively to guests at €3.00 for a 1lb jar.

More work done!!

As well as the new bathroom, there is also a new suite of furniture in the living room.



And the sun room has been redecorated, and a tv added to this room for use with the PS2 games console. This means that the adults can watch tv, or a dvd, in the living room, while the kids are playing on the PS2, or watching a dvd, in the sun room!

New bathroom complete!

We've been too busy trying to get everything ready for the first booking of the year this weekend to post any updates lately, but the new bathroom is finally complete, with a couple of days to spare!

New windows!

Today the new 'A' rated double glazed windows were installed in the bathroom, toilet, boiler room, downstairs twin bedroom, upstairs double bedroom, and the back bunk bedroom upstairs. This makes a total of 7 new windows.

Renovations latest!

These are the latest photographs of work progressing on the new bathroom. At this stage the first fix electrics and plumbing is complete, and new floors have been laid. The next stage will be to fix insulated plasterboard to the outside walls, and the ceilings. This should make the rooms much easier to keep warm! The windows are then being changed to new 'A' rated double glazed pvc units, before the walls and ceilings will be plastered. Then the new bathroom suite can be fitted, before the tiling and the finishing touches are addded. Still a long way to go!

Renovations update!

These pictures show the before and after of where the toilet in the w.c. used to be! Now there is just a hole in the floor as we await the connection of the pipes for the new toilet in the bathroom next door. The washbasin was replaced just 2 years ago, and is therefore being kept in place.

































These pictures show the before and after of the enlarged bathrooom. Following the demolition of the wall between the bathroom and the pump room, this room will now have two windows. The new bath, with shower over, will be going under the smaller window. The new washbasin, with a mirror over it, will be between the windows. The new toilet will be under the larger window, to the left.

New bathroom

In the 1960's Thomas Reilly built an extension onto the back of the farmhouse at Millknock farm to house a cloakroom, a toilet, a bathroom, and a room for the water pump that drew water from the well. This provided the family with their first indoor toilet! In 1998, before becoming a holiday let, the toilet was replaced and the bathroom was re-tiled. Apart from this and the addition of a tumble dryer, water softener, and coin meter to the pump room, and an oil burner to the cloakroom, nothing has changed in nearly 50 years. Until now.

Starting this week (10th Jan 2011) the bathroom is undergoing some major changes. The old steel bath, and the washbasin are being replaced. The bathroom is going to be extended in to the pump room, now that the old disused pump has been removed. This will create enough space to put a toilet in the bathroom. The existing toilet is also being replaced. As well as this, the ceilings and walls will be insulated for the first time (insulation was very rare in the 1960's!), to make these rooms warmer.