My very own Irish cottage

I always wanted one of those traditional cottages with the stone, whitewashed walls and thatched roof and chickens in the yard.  And now I have one ...

in the form of this lovely and unusual embroidered brooch, complete with birds and chickens and even possibly a pile of turf at the side.

It's a gorgeous little thing, the embroidery is fairly intricate and I think it may be quite old.  It's certainly a much better souvenir of Ireland than the plastic leprechauns, (made in China), that are sold in shops today.