Willow Grove

In West Cork, we're surrounded by some beautiful Irish names: An Sanctoir, a local community center in Ballydehob; Cafe Cois Cuan, a lovely cafe run by my sister and brother-in-law; even our town name in Irish "An Scoil" has a sort of simple elegance.  We thought a long time about the name for our little piece of the world.

When we took our first walk with the previous owners (now great friends of ours), they pointed out a grove of willows, or Sallys as their known colloquially.  It's a sweet grove on our southern border that separates us from the Coillte land next door.  On that same walk, we visited the spot that was to be our doorway to the world.  We call it Lane 1 (Later renamed Orchard Lane).  It's the current home of our annual vegetable garden, greenhouse, and shed in-progress.  Right next to our annual garden, to the north side of Orchard Lane, we have our very special community member.  Her name is Grandmother Willow.  She's a huge willow with a lot of stories to tell.  Kin has grown up all around her, it's like their gathering around to hear her tell them stories of wise women and the ways of the world.

This willow indication was clear that it needed to be somehow a part of the name.  Now, for the defining word.  Willows describe what you'll find here, but the next word is generally a declaration of the land.  Willow Farms isn't quite right, we do much more than farming.  We do living!  So, how do we name it so it's just what it is, a place to live life.

Bear with me here, we're about to get a little cheesy.  Remember, Little House on the Prairie?  What a story!  Laura Ingalls Wilder was a very talented writer and her words were the inspiration for our little family homestead.  Her home in Kansas during her developmental years was in a village called Walnut Grove.  

Honouring the past and basking in the present, Willow Grove was born.