Having an Irish grandfather who was a farmer sparked a love of animals and the land in TamiJoy Miller who swapped farming in Washington for Connemara.

“My grandfather, Martin Joyce, left Lettermullen around 1929 for Canada where he worked as a lumberjack. He then moved to the U.S., became a U.S. citizen and was employed with the Burlington Northern Railroad Company.

“He was drafted and fought into World War II and once the war ended he returned to his position with Burlington Northern.

“My love of animals and the land came quite naturally as my Irish grandfather had large vegetable gardens and I was always puttering alongside him as a child. He also raised sheep, chickens and had a goat for milking,” she said.

TamiJoy had a small agri-tourism and CSA (community supported agriculture) business in Dayton, Washington.

Her business in Dayton offered shareholders a weekly box of vegetables, fruit, eggs, herbs, flowers and whatever was in season at the time.

“I also offered classes at the farm along with events throughout the growing season which was April through October. I raised meat birds, Freedom Rangers, and Idaho pasture pigs along with Red Angus steers.

“My paternal great great grandparents homesteaded in Washington State and the family wheat farm was until recently still being farmed by the family. So farming is in my DNA,” she said.

“When my husband Rocky and I purchased our cottage and five acre property here in Ballinakill, Lettermullen, nine years ago, we were planning to live here six months each year. We started clearing and rebuilding the stone walls one garden at a time.

“We were here when the pandemic caused Ireland to go into lockdown in March, 2020. We flew back to the U.S .and by May, 2020, made the decision to move to Ireland full-time.

“We sold our houses and properties in the U.S. and returned to Ireland and have been living here as permanent residents since. I am a dual Irish/American citizen and my husband will qualify for citizenship in another year,” TamiJoy.

TamiJoy’s love of the land and animals is apparent here as well.

“We currently have six Zwarbles ewes and two Kunekune pigs. I launched my licensed agri tourism business here in 2020 with a focus on offering experiences to tourists that come from abroad,” she said.

She also collaborates with locals to offer workshops, one-day wellness retreats and classes and courses focused on gardening, cooking, and art.

“It has been difficult to find organically and locally raised chicken so I hope to add a few for our own consumption in 2025. We recently purchased land and property near the sea which supplies us with ample grazing land for the sheep.

“We launched our four bedroom, three-bathroom guesthouse located in the Trabane village earlier this year. Our guesthouse is open year round.

“Guests come from all over the world to our area as Connemara is a favourite place in Ireland to visit. It is a good location to access so many of the wonderful sites of the area, like the Aran Islands, Kylemore Abbey and Ballynahinch Castle, not to mention all of our own area attractions,” TamiJoy said.

She settled into the local area easily: “My Irish roots run deep here with relatives all around me.”

There are some differences between farming in Washington and Connemara, she has found:

“They are mainly in regard to Ireland’s policies for animal husbandry and the slaughtering of livestock.

“For example, Ireland does not allow the slaughtering of animals on the farm. In Washington State, the animal is killed on site by the mobile slaughtering service (abattoir) which then takes the animal and hangs it at the butcher shop until ready for cut and wrap.

“Chickens and other meat birds were the exception and were transported to the slaughterhouse by the farmer. Each state in the U.S. has a Department of Agriculture with State specific rules and regulations and then the overarching federal government with their additional policies.

“It would be nice to see a similar licensed mobile service available here to minimise the stress associated with transporting the animal to the abattoir,” said TamiJoy.

TamiJoy is “always up for new challenges and learning new skills and how to bring my own knowledge and apply it to what I grow and produce here”.

“We plan to add bees, hens and meat birds to our wee farm. Additionally, I am in the process of expanding the outside vegetable growing area and will continue to offer bespoke cooking classes, farm tours and experiences,” she said.

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Washington

Swapping farming in Washington for Connemara