I have always been interested in community gardens and the idea behind them. For me they mean a space that a community works on together and through doing this not only does it bring people together but it also creates a sense of belonging within a town.
However I have always been surprised there are not more of them dotted around Ireland. So, when I was given the opportunity to create a radio documentary for college, I knew what I wanted to do it on! I set out to find out what community gardens really mean to people in Ireland and what is involved with setting one up.
My first port of call was Dee Sewell of Greenside Up and the person to talk to about community gardens. And was it the best place to stop she put me in touch with a great network of community gardens around Ireland.
If only I had time to talk to everyone I was introduced to on their Facebook page but of course I was rushing to meet my assignment deadline. But it is a very long summer so hopefully Beyond the Wild Garden will enjoy a revisit to the topic in the next few months!
With Dee’s help I was introduced to the wonderful women behind the Greystones Kilcoole Community Garden who allowed me and my traveling mic to enjoy a cup of tea with them and talk all things green and more importantly all things community garden.
I think the passion Jackie, Anne and Deb have for not just gardening but really reconnecting the community surrounding them is electrifying. It was an utter pleasure to talk to them and find out what each of them gets from being involved with a community garden.
From talking to the group it really came home to me that community gardens really have no definition and it really is a space that takes on the spirit of those involved and is something that every town in Ireland should embrace.
For more information on the Greystones Kilcoole Community Garden visit their website or Facebook page and if you live anywhere close to the garden and have free time on your hands get in touch and get your hands dirty down in the garden.
If you would like to know more about community garden Dee wrote a great blog post recently talking the top five reasons to get involved with community gardening.
You can also get in touch with the Community Garden Network if you want to get involved with one or are event thinking about setting one up yourself.
Source: Beyond the Wild Garden – Community Gardens in Ireland – David Corscadden
