Mise Niamh Ní Dhúill agus is féidir liom cabhrú le bhur scoil le gháirdín don nádúr agus bithéagsúlacht a fhás. I have a background in the natural sciences and organic gardening.
I love to show the wild plants and habitats that are growing on our doorsteps.
I focus on creating connections between the habitats with ecological corridors and through ecosystem restoration. My main work is creating and caring for Natural Wild Gardens.
I can assist the class with: how to create, interact with and care for these spaces; plan for new habitats; and how to connect them together for the benefit of all wildlife.
My workshops are interactive, practical, skills based, fully outdoors and bilingual. I am co-author of the publication ‘The Year-Round School Organic Garden’ with Lucy Bell, Cathy Eastman, Áine Ní Fhlaharta & Ian McGrigor. I am also available also to meet with the teachers and any other staff under CPD hours.
All are Practical Workshops – Fully Based Outdoors. Required – Appropriate rain gear and footwear/change of shoes. I can supply all equipment required. Small groups preferable.
This walk explores the school grounds, discovering some of the plants, habitats and creatures that we share our spaces with. We focus on how to see and highlight the special plants and spaces that we usually do not notice: from the moss growing on the wall to the wildflowers growing out of the concrete. This includes a ‘chalk walk’, where we write the names of the plants and habitats with chalk on the concrete, as Gaeilge & Béarla. This workshop is based outdoors and is bilingual.
This workshop brings in the elements of Celtic Mythology and the Irish Goddess of Plants and Herbal Medicine, Airmid, to help reconnect us with our local landscape and spirit of the land. We explore local placenames and what they tell us about the history of this place. We introduce ourselves to the plants that are growing locally and discover their magical and medicinal properties. We look at their names as Gaeilge and learn how our native language is what truly connects us to the land. We learn about Reciprocal Ecology, where our relationship with nature is one based on both giving and receiving and how this can help us to develop a deeper understanding and connection with nature, each other and ourselves. It is recommended that this workshop be booked as a series of 3 or 4, to ensure that the different seasons are explored and experienced. These workshops are based outdoors and are bilingual.
The focus in this workshop is to map and assess the existing habitats in the school grounds and to advise on how they can be maintained. The next step is to plan for more habitats for wild plants and animals. Then we create a plan of how to connect them together, through the elements of ecological corridors. These can include native hedges, small pockets of woodlands, stone walls, small ponds and different kinds of meadows. This workshop encourages students to think like a plant and an animal and to see the world from their perspective. I share skills to help the school plan to restore and care for interconnected ecosystems and habitats in their school grounds. The United Nations has declared this to be the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021 – 31) and this work is my contribution to this. This workshop is based outdoors and is bilingual.
This is recommended as a longer series of workshops, with a focus on perennial and wild food that can be grown in the school grounds, alongside the usual annual vegetables. There is a strong emphasis in these workshops on Nature Based Solutions using permaculture approaches. This encouraging critical thinking and questioning for this next generation, who will be the decision makers for the practical solutions to our current Biodiversity & Climate Crisis. These workshops also look at other essential elements required, such as water harvesting, soil protection, composting and seed saving. It is recommended that these be booked in a series of one per month to ensure the sustainability and longterm use of the garden. These workshops are based outdoors and are bilingual.
Testimonials
"Niamh is so well prepared. She also likes to prepare us and plan in advance of her next visit, so as to achieve the optimum level of learning"
"Niamh is a huge asset to the learning that takes place in our school. Over the past year she has supported us turn our organic garden into an outdoor classroom with her expertise. Niamh always arrived prepared with loads of ideas and excellent lesson plans. She has such a lovely way of interacting with students and staff. She gives 100% and more on her visits." - St. Francis Special School, Kerry
