Sonairte, Ireland’s first Visitor Eco-Centre and Gardens, Laytown, 25 miles north of Dublin City, is looking beautiful this summer. Admission is FREE so many passers by are dropping in for a walk around and a cup of coffee and even a light lunch. The 18th century walled organic garden is also a good place to learn about sowing, planting hoeing, weeding, mulching, composting, watering, pruning, digging, grafting and all the other skills which come in handy in growing food or in horticulture more generally.
Áine on work experience in Sonairte as part of a horticultural qualification, harvesting edible organic flowers for the Dublin Food Co-Op.
Sonairte, Ireland’s first Visitor Eco-Centre and Gardens, Laytown, 25 miles north of Dublin City, is looking beautiful this summer. Admission is FREE so many passers by are dropping in for a walk around and a cup of coffee and even a light lunch. The 18th century walled organic garden is also a good place to learn about sowing, planting hoeing, weeding, mulching, composting, watering, pruning, digging, grafting and all the other skills which come in handy in growing food or in horticulture more generally. The word sonairte means ‘good energy’. This centre also depends on the energy of good volunteers as it is a registered charity. Any money made from selling produce grown in the garden etc. is needed to maintain the old buildings and pay minimal expenses so that volunteers on the bread-line are not out of pocket.
From time to time, Sonairte volunteers are delighted when visitors express interest in volunteering a few days, weeks or longer as work experience. In recent times, the garden, marketing department, nature trail, ecoshop and Sunflower Café have all appreciated volunteer help. If you are interested or know of anybody else who might be interested, please contact Geraldine in Sonairte at 00 353 41 982 75 72 or email info@sonairte.ie. The website is www.sonairte.ie.
Trevor is co-founder and was, until his appointment to Government, a board member of Sonairte, the Irish National Ecology Centre, near Julianstown, County Meath which is an Agricultural Training and Visitor centre with a 2.2 acre walled organic garden. He is also a member of Amnesty International, the Dublin Food Co-op, the Irish Organic Farmers’ and Growers’ Association, Organic Trust and a former member of Macra na Feirme. A former teacher and fluent Irish speaker, he relaxes by reading, walking and playing music. His favourite form of relaxation is tending to his prolific organic garden at home in Balbriggan, North County Dublin, an area known by many as Fingal.
