Straw Bale Building Courses with Bee Rowan (Strawbuild.org) formerly of Amazonails the famous UK straw bale partnership.

1. www.rockfarm.ie
Load-bearing Straw Bale
Building Course,
Rock Farm Slane, Ireland
Rock Farm Ecotourism Ltd is proud to present a series of strawbale building,
clay and lime plastering courses given by Bee Rowan of StrawBuild.org
starting in June this year.
Come and join us for some - or all - of the different phases across 4 weeks in
June
Everyone welcome, beginners and practitioners alike
Numbers are limited, so book early!
Dates: 5th June – 5th July
Course duration: 3 days to 1 month
Fees: Depends on length of stay. Please enquire at rockfarm.slane@gmail.com
or chris@strawbuild.org
Courses are offered in blocks of 3, 5 and 10 days.
Special discounts apply to those interested in staying for the duration of the
building project.

2. www.rockfarm.ie
Description:
5th to 9th June: Straw bale building course
3 or 5-day straw bale building courses. Practical, fun, hands-on building of loadbearing
straw bale farm office, supported with illustrated theory sessions and global examples of
different methods. Starting at the beginning through to compression of the walls and
lowering of the roof. Learning how to work, shape and build with straw and local cutting of
our own timber. Ideal holistic introduction to straw bale building, the first of several straw
bale builds in the historic and beautiful parklands of Slane Castle.
10th to 14th June: Clay plastering
How to prepare detail for clay plastering; how to mix, make, test and apply clay plasters; we
will work with local clay and learn how we can use this amazing resource in our own homes.
A practical course, using a mixture of machinery, tools, hands and feet! With theory
support. Beginners and professional plasterers welcome.
17th to 21st June: Lime plastering
How to prepare detail for lime rendering; how to mix, make and apply the different layers
of lime, fully supported with the theory of lime, history, and the different types of lime
appropriate for different uses in both straw bale buildings and in our own conventional
buildings. We will use a mixture of machines and hand tools. Beginners and professional
plasterers welcome.
24th to 28th June: Optional week for volunteering

3. www.rockfarm.ie
Half-board options at Hare’s Leap Luxury Eco Camp
Each course phase offers a half-board residential course with accommodation
at Hare’s Leap Luxury Eco Camp.
Breakfast, refreshments and lunch, with the opportunity of cooking shared dinners, or
eating in the local village.
Accommodation available at the luxury eco camp (Hare’s Leap) on the farm in furnished and
heated yurts and shepherd’s hut in the glorious and richly historic landscape of Slane Castle.
Each 5-day residential course will cost £490 (€570) per person with half-board
accommodation. Discounts for those staying for 2 or more phases are available. Please
contact Carina Mount Charles at Rock Farm Ecotourism for details.
3-day to 15-day options are also available.
Discounts for those staying for 2 or more phases are available. Please contact Carina Mount
Charles at Rock Farm Ecotourism for details.
Course tutors:
Course tutors will be Bee Rowan and associate of Strawbuild. Bee has 15 years experience,
previously Head of Education for Amazonails, and will share much of that experience with us
all this week.
For Bee, the process is as important as the end build, so it should be a great week of both
learning and fun. Bring your questions, designs, or even clay samples to explore!
Volunteer opportunities:
Volunteer opportunities are available for the full building period (30 days) for which a small
fee to cover accommodation and half board will be charged.