A gardener or a gigger? Or both? For Barrie Quinn they go hand in hand but whereas gardening is his passion and his pleasure, gigging is mainly to support charities and make music.
Halfway between Ardara and Portnoo in Donegal, a family farm has been reconfigured into a thriving market garden, a wonder of fruit and vegetables and one Mongolian sunflower on the way to becoming 14 feet tall with a head measuring almost 18 inches. There are poly tunnels filled with growth, cucumber, French beans, garlic, courgettes, onion sets and more.
Barrie is full of information that is relevant to all of us, take apples for instance. “Apples can be up to a year old by the time they reach the shop. When picked they are treated with a chemical and sometimes with a synthetic wax and stored in a cooler. It’s important that before eating these are washed in a mixture of water and baking soda – bicarbonate of soda.” Chemicals are not tolerated in this man’s life.
Talking to Barrie is an education for any gardener. The importance of removing side shoots on tomatoes to promote growth, basil between the plants as they compliment each other with nutrients and the specific aroma deters white fly, planting sage, mint, marigolds or lavender to dissuade ticks and talk of his most sought after product, the lettuce. You could almost set this to music and Barrie might well do so at some time!
At Portnoo Market Garden one thing is for sure, nature rules whether in the orchard, around thousands tender plants or in the lily pond which is cultivated to produce frogs to eat the slugs to feed the wildlife so evident around the area, a large hare lops by to prove the point, foxes and rabbits are lurking and nettles grow tall for butterflies and to use as a vegetable, all thrive on a feed of molasses and concentrated seaweed.
“Three years ago we had a fungal growth with the first crop of tomatoes and it seemed there was nothing could be done except a commercial fungicide. But I watched the crop wither and die rather than use chemicals. I was determined to build the perfect garden and grow perfect fruit and vegetables” And with JR, his devoted dad, and five year old Ryu he has achieved this with two year old Emika already taking an interest.
I showed Barrie a book I was reading by Edwin Oxlade illustrated by his wife Diana. Simply called 50 Weeds it’s a fascinating account of our most common weeds, or as Barrie says, flowers in the wrong place. One of his constant challenges is chickweed which just keeps growing and threatening to smother tender outdoor plants. According to Edwin Oxlade chickweed comes from an illustrious family: “Even the carnation in your button hole is close kin.” He mentions weedkiller but recommends “just grab and pull.” Another ‘weed’ featured in the book is the dandelion, a misunderstood plant giving more than it gets. “Excellent addition to salads, make wine with the flowers and grind the baked roots into a coffee substitute.” Certainly this book encourages you to look into the fields and hedgerows and your own garden with new eyes.
Where did Barrie learn all this? “The university of Google though it really began when I went to Australia in 2009 and worked on a large farm harvesting fruit and vegetables for Woolworths cutting, picking and packing in large bags but they weren’t chemical free and that set me thinking.” There he met Yuka his wife originally from Tokyo and together they decided to come home to the north west of Ireland to do it right. But it took time and effort.
In 2020 with his dad he cut down hundreds of sally trees filling 2000 bags of firewood; he realised there was no water source so consulted old maps showing the area in the mid 1800s and discovered three spring wells, began digging and laying a water coarse to the poly tunnels and the rest is history in the making.
Barrie is also a well known duck and famous the length and breadth of Donegal; he’s one of The Duck Street Jam Band and, playing guitar and vocals, he and his fellow musicians raised £10.000 last year for charity.
“The day after our wedding in Australia we went to a Hawaiian party and it was great craic so we decided we’d run one here every year to raise money for Glenties charity shop for orphans in Haiti and Ethiopia and for the Pashto orphanage in Belarus. It’s one of our main events held this year on 20th July in The Tavern, Portnoo. All welcome!”
Proof positive that gigs and gardening do indeed go hand in hand.
More on Internet – Portnoo Market Garden
It’s lovely to get into the garden or the countryside and get away from interminable boring time wasting football and what is the point of ‘pundits’? – politics, Glastonbury, although I have to say Cold Play with Michael J. Fox last night at Glastonbury singing ‘Fix You’ was memorable what a show no wonder the tickets are so expensive what with the fireworks and all. Then between times the Post Office enquiry is riveting, The poor man who’s been on the stand for the last four days of last week started off looking very chipper but by Friday was a wreck with hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes, it must be terrible to be in his position. Thank goodness for Netflix where you can find some good films and some good features on tv. My latest catchup is Douglas is Cancelled, a really clever psychological thriller on ITV
THE MIGHTY JONES BOY
I met Tom Jones in the early 60s when he came into Ulster Television and blew us all away singing ‘It’s Not Unusual’. It was my job to get his contract signed so I knocked on the dressing room door, was granted access and there he was stripped to the waist, lucky rabbit’s foot handing from his belt. I asked him to sign and then said “Mr. Jones I’d just like to tell you that we all like your record and wish you lots of luck.” He replied “Thanks love, I’m going to enjoy it because I think it’s probably a one off.” How wrong can you be. I have charted the course of his career ever since and he has never sung better in my opinion than when he sang from time to time on The Voice. Then came his jaw dropping rendition of I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. He stood in front of a wall bearing the names of many service personnel who died during the invasion and Battle Normandy and it was electrifying. Although always associated with Tom, it was written by the American gospel singer Bernice Johnson Reagon however he began singing it as a tribute to his late wife Linda who died because of lung cancer. “People you love sometimes need to be backed up and given strength and encouragement. Linda told me not to crumble without her, she said you must carry on.” And he did. I think he surpassed himself at the memorial, no fuss, no movement, the band playing low in the background and if you haven’t already heard him sing with such emotion please do. It’s on YouTube.
I will wake in the morning if you call, and I’ll stand beside you for as long as I can.
I will hold back the evening from your sun, but I won’t crumble with you if you fall.”
This time next week we’ll know the result of the elections for better or for worse. It will be exciting on the English scene – has Farage shot himself in the foot?
If you’re into football you’ll also know the result of the Euros and Glastonbury will be over. Then it will be Wimbledon and still the Post Office Enquiry goes on. The poor man who was grilled over the last three days looked haggard on Friday at close of play, his jaunty positive attitude had dissipated big time. All this and the horror of war and the fear of global warming. But of course there are lots of good things to enjoy and my news is that the tomatoes are forming and looking good!
