Category: connection to land
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Imbolc: Foods of the Festival
It’s St. Brigid’s Day – Imbolc, the start of spring. 🌱 St. Brigid’s Day, the 1st of February Today St Brigid’s Day is marked as a mix of Christian and older seasonal and pagan traditions. Many people make St Brigid’s crosses from rushes, visit holy wells, or leave a Brat…
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Coffee in Kildare – CafĂ© Spotlight: Square, Kildare Town
Today, on St. Brigid’s Eve, I walked the Curragh in Co. Kildare as part of the Kildare Leadership Partnership’s Walk the Mantle guided walk, led by the excellent Pat, Ronan, and Sharon. The rain eased just as we set off through the plains. For anyone unfamiliar with the Curragh, this…
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February Walk – Straffan, Co. Kildare
If you enjoy getting out into the fresh air and fancy an uplifting saunter and socialising walk on Val/ Gal/ Pal-entines Day, the 14th of February, join me at 11:00 am in the main carpark of the K Club hotel, in Straffan (W23 YX53). A chance to enjoy the outdoors, the land, and…
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Kildare Food & Drink: Local Produce in Celbridge
The list below features local food and drink producers in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. Some of the produce listed is not actually sourced in Celbridge, but is available locally, such as the coffee beans that are roasted here. Farms Derrybeg Farm CSA Derrybeg Farm CSA is a community-supported agriculture project, where…
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Ireland’s Medieval Landscape: Round Towers
“Look! Rapunzel’s tower!” This was a comment I heard a little girl excitedly tell her parents in Glendalough car park. She was pointing to the round tower behind the trees with utter glee in her face. Her reaction captures something essential about these structures: their height, their drama, and their…
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Mercosur and the Future of European Farming
What is the Mercosur Agreement, and why are so many people protesting it? What does it mean for modern farming? And why does the European Union want us to agree to it? How this will impact Ireland and the rest of Europe, one can only guess. But Europe’s citizens are…
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January Walk – Maynooth, Co. Kildare
Happy New Year, everyone! January, what a month eh. If you enjoy the crisp chill air and fancy an uplifting (hopefully snowy) stroll on the 24th of January, join me at 11:00 am at the gates to Carton Avenue, across the road from the Ely Wine Store (W23 C9V9). A chance to enjoy…
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Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas, no-one! I am about to set out for the Christmas Day Walk. I am not imagining anyone will turn up – I know it is early days but the walk will happen anyway. I will update later. Afternoon Update Yes, I went on the Christmas Day walk this…
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Solstice and Reading the Sky in Prehistory
At this time of year during the winter solstice, Ireland offers stunning views of sunlight streaming into the chamber of the passage tomb Newgrange in County Meath, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments. But what exactly is a solstice, and how did people in the past understand it?…
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Christmas Day Walk – Celbridge, Co. Kildare
If you’d like some fresh air and a peaceful stroll on Christmas Day, join me at 11:00 am at the Castletown gates – the slip entrance (the closest eircode is W23 TD37). A chance to enjoy the outdoors, the land, and a moment of calm with some company on Christmas morning.…
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Christmas Tree Tea
Have you ever walked past your Christmas tree, gotten that lovely pine needle scent, and thought, “Hmm these smell good enough to eat”? Or, is that just me? Christmas Tree Tea lets you actually enjoy that fresh, evergreen aroma in a cup – made from safe, fresh pine needles and…
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Acorn Tea: A Taste of the Forest
Collecting wild foods is something I never imagined I would do but recently I have been thinking about food and questioning the following: Supermarkets are failing us. And in terms of human history, they’re a very recent phenomenon. Large supermarkets only became common after World War II when economic growth,…
