Irish Grain Gathering
Fred Price of Gothelney Farm visits Ireland for their third annual gathering
In December last year Isabel Kelly, one of the directors and founders of UK Grain Lab, invited me to speak at the second Irish Grain Network social on 29th July. When I said yes I thought my most pressing concern was renewing my passport. Little could I imagine I’d be drying grain at 2am and flying to Dublin a few hours later. Crazy year or crazy decision? Both seem to be my reality these days.
Much like our own, the Irish Grain Network is a collection of farmers, millers, bakers, brewers and academics focused on building a resilient grain economy to feed and nourish the people of Ireland.
Much else was familiar besides – the landscape and crops of Kilkenny felt so very much like home, and the relationships and trust building between the different participants of the day was wonderful to behold. So too were the incredible resources within the network as I listened to stories of wonderful bakeries and restaurants, visited fabulous mills, farms & field trials. And of course the familiar stomach-clenching anxiety of sharing our story to such a large group weighed heavy until it was over, passing just in time for dinner. I chuckle with amusement when I reflect on the advertised “simple, informal dinner offering” – which was an all irish grain-tastic feast set amidst castle walls, rich in conversation and friendship building. It is with some embarrassment, that I have become accustomed to such treats at our own convenings.
The same then, but also different.
Because I had taken a plane. Because I was in a new place. Surrounded by 90 or so new people, only a couple of familiar folk. I reflected on how this made me feel, and it reminded me of a blog I read by Ali Taherzadeh about movement building and systems change.
Specifically the part where Ali asks us to “Make space for both home and coalition”.
Home spaces, Ali says, are about identity and shared values – safe spaces where we nourish ourselves and dream. I’m lucky to call the farm, the SWGN and UKGL communities home spaces. But staying ‘home’ isn’t enough if we want to change things – this is where ‘coalition spaces’ come in. Away from home we can feel uncomfortable, come up against different visions and identities. They can be difficult to navigate and understand, yet this is so often where magic happens.
What I felt in Ireland showed me that home and coalition are not binary.
1. We need them both
2. Coalition can become home
3. They can happen simultaneously
Point 3 is how I felt in Ireland – how one persons home is another’s coalition. But something magical also happened. Over the course of the day my anxiety waned as I met more people and participated in the activities and festivities. The arc of the day was a journey from coalition to home. And how magical it was, how lucky I was to be invited.
Thinking about the SWGN again, I reflected for the first time how for many of you what is my home might be your coalition. And from that perspective I’m more grateful than ever for everyone’s bravery in participation with this network over this past few years. I look forward to more bravery as we use home & coalition to reflect on how we relate to the system we seek to transform, and to imagine our roles within an emerging alternative.
By Fred Price
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