A Retreat to Rejuvenate Your Soul

Ciara Cullen knew the day she went there that Clare Island was where she needed to be. So she built a life around everything she loves about the island and about what it has to offer. And now she offers that experience to all who can appreciate such a back-to-earth life.

Ciara built this place to match her dreams.

Macalla Farm is a residential yoga retreat, a working organic farm that celebrates heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables and the art of living vegetarian. It is peaceful in every way. And there are horses strolling about.

The pathway away from stress.

They specialize in heirloom flowers and vegetables.

They eat what they grow here.

It is just the right getaway for the right people. Not only can you indulge in the peace, and the atmosphere that welcomes those from all around the world as family, you see where every bit of food comes from, and you awake to ocean views from atop the hills of Clare Island.

“I have been a yoga instructor and a vegetarian most of my life and we have created just where we want to be. It’s exciting when others with the same interests are here to share in it all,” she says.

Ciara chose Clare Island in the 1980’s, or maybe Clare Island chose her. It is the kind of place people like Ciara are drawn to for it’s rough beauty and peaceful lifestyle. She and her partner Christophe (Mouze) began building Macalla Farm in 2001 around their draw to sustainable living and mindfulness.

“I grew up in the United States and I always enjoy going there for a short bit. But I also always know that when I arrive back here I am actually home. I just don’t think I could live back there, for good.”

Who wouldn’t be relaxed waking up to this every day?

Macalla Farm has grown out of her personal mission. The hoop houses are constantly growing the food they eat, and those who stay there rave about the food. She says most who stay aren’t vegetarians when they arrive, but once they experience the lifestyle, embrace it. They may not convert, but they do learn how to increase vegetables into their diets and if nothing else, lessen their meat intake.

“I love what we have created here, and I love that those who come here love it too. It’s just what envisioned here so many years ago,” she says.

You can hear her story in her words by clicking the link below.: