Clare Watson

I was brought up on a small organic farm just outside Carrigaline near Cork city, and, in 1984, graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a social science degree and social work qualification (CQSW).

After many years working on environmental and community campaigns, I co-authored the handbook “Campaigns and How to Win Them” (Wolfhound Press;1997)

In 1999, my then partner and I, moved from our city life in Dublin to a 34-acre hill-farm overlooking beautiful Bantry Bay. Wanting to be self-sufficient, we faced the challenge of cutting our carbon footprint with evangelical zeal – digging, delving and building. We constructed a comfortable straw bale house, powered by wind generators, solar panels and a wood-burning stove, and, for fourteen years, I worked on the land and produced a lot of our own food.

I now live near Ballydehob and share the care of our wonderful son, Luke.

I am currently doing a PhD in UCC, as part of an EPA funded project called ‘Climate Change, Behaviour and Community Response’.