OFFALY SUSTAINABLE Commune couple just grow for it.. PAIR WANT MORE FAMILIES TO JOIN ECO COMMUNITY
MEET the couple who started their own commune in the Irish countryside — and invited pals to join — where they eat homegrown food and help raise each other’s kids.
Charlotte Knee-Zaska (30) bought a piece of land and welcomed a family in to start their own ‘sustainable community’ for a ‘slower pace of life’.
She and husband Max (32), a musician, saved over €50,000 over three years to buy nearly an acre of land in Offaly in August 2017 and moved from their home in Dublin with their five-year-old daughter Iza in tow.
The pair set about building two houses — so they could welcome families to join their ‘community’ and learn to live sustainably together.
The family spent two years renovating a cottage already on the land and building an extension with its own living areas so they could have another family join them.
In April 2021, they were able to welcome their friends, James
Smith (32), a music producer, and
Ffion Thomas (31), a holistic therapist, and their daughter
Connie, now one, into their home.
Yoga
FRIENDS INDEED: Charlotte and Max were joined by pals Ffion and James
Now the two families live as a community — eating homegrown, or organically sourced food, and running women’s retreats from their home.
Charlotte, a yoga teacher, said: “I’d always wanted to have a proper home as I was moving around so much as a kid.
“When we moved it was a bit daunting at first as we had no heating, and the garden was just rubble and mud.
“Slowly with saving we’ve built up the garden and homes so we can live as a community with our friends.
“It’s great because I can get some peace and quiet while Ffion or James look after the kids.
“I also know that they can run out and play in the garden and I don’t need to watch them.
“We have a slower pace of life and it’s great to live with your friends.”
Charlotte set her sights on creating a community while living in the city, but struggled to get people together to make it work.
After hunting on cheap housing sites, she found a piece of land in Offaly that she loved.
Charlotte has hopes of expanding her community if she is able to buy more land.
“It would be lovely if we had more people to join us,” she added.