Name: Edmund Butler; Address: Kinsale, Co Cork; Dwelling: Farmhouse; Here since: 1983
My parents were in the lighthouse service, and they travelled all around the coast. We were attached to the land stations. It was unusual, exciting and difficult growing up in lighthouses. It had all aspects of life. We lived in very remote places. There were 15 of us in the family, which was a big help. It was very easy to occupy us when there were 15 of us; you didn't need neighbours.
I joined the lighthouse service with my twin brother. It was a different type of a life then. I stayed at it for about six years. It could be very difficult, especially if you were offshore. I went out to the Skelligs one time, back in 1969 or 1970. I was only to go out for two weeks, but it was nearly three months before I got off it due to bad weather. We were eating potatoes and seaweed for breakfast, dinner and tea. We had nothing left.
The computer changed everything. It made us all redundant, though I'd left before that.
Now I live in Garretstown, about six or seven miles outside Kinsale, Co Cork. I have been living there since 1975, and I bought a farm in 1983. I have the old farmhouse all done up, and a lot of effort put into it. I have an auctioneering firm in Kinsale, and I run the farm, too. Nothing will ever compare with the farm. I'd give up everything I ever had to be farming. But farming now is a thing of the past, like the lighthouses. It's only a hobby now. Farmers must get an off-farm job if they're to survive. It's so sad to think this country has gone that way, but there you are.
Where I live in Garretstown was part of the Garretstown Estate. The Land Commission took over that estate and broke it up into smaller farms. There was a big estate house, and my wife's father was a gardener on the estate, under the last owners, the Franks. The house itself is a ruin now, which is a pity as it's such a beautiful house. If it were done up and the State owned it, it would be a wonderful thing.
Kinsale is the Riviera of Ireland. There are the tourists, and the town revolves around them. There are very high-class restaurants in town. Property is at a premium - there are about 13 or 14 auctioneers in the town, including myself. There's a tremendous Chamber of Commerce, and every kind of a festival comes to Kinsale. It's a good spot to be operating out of, and it's a lovely place to live. The people around are fantastic. It's a lovely place all round.
• In conversation with Davin O'Dwyer