Film from My Parish—6 Farms

Ireland is known as a mystical place of lyricism, earthiness and humor—all of which are captured by this short film perfectly. The six small farms of the title are as far from modern industrial agriculture as they could be. They are still connected to a time when tea towels, tablecloths and even sheets were hand-sewn from flour bags and when it was customary for geese to nest in the bottom of kitchen hutches. A couple of cows, two horses to work the land and a donkey to bring turf home from the bog had none of the impact of today’s tractors, combines and colossal feed lots. In keeping with the sustainability of old-fashioned farms, the filmmaker made green techniques a priority, shooting almost entirely with natural light and in digital, using minimal equipment and traveling the narrow lanes of his parish by bicycle. —PK