DCU to host workshop for community gardeners and food-growing enthusiasts

Community gardeners and individuals passionate about growing their own food are invited to attend a free workshop hosted by Dublin City University on Saturday 9th October.

With both a virtual and in-person element, attendees will hear from leading experts, national and international, on how to grow their own food in Ireland and ultimately make ethical food choices and minimise environmental impact. 

The event is part of a new initiative called SeasonsPace, led by DCU and Newcastle University in collaboration with Airfield estate and community organisations in Paris, which promotes the development of a community garden and food-growing network in Ireland, France and the UK. The project is funded by the Irish Research Council's New Foundations scheme, and the overall project lead is Dr Dervila Cooke, along with Dr Susan Pike and Dr Orla Kelly for its school element.

Virtual event details:

When: Saturday 9th October between 9am - 12pm

Register here

Key speakers: 

• Michael Kelly, founder of GIY Ireland:growing your own food in Ireland
• Lorraine O’Hara for DLRCOCO’s parks department: fruit growing in public spaces
• Marion Bocahut, La Recyclerie in the 18^th arrondissement of Paris: showcase examples of French urban growing initiatives focused on sustainability and the circular economy  
• Helen Collins from The Comfrey Project in Gateshead (North East England), which works with refugees and asylum seekers to grow their own food 
• Tom Jamieson from NEYDL, which helps young fathers grow in confidence and skills through community beekeeping, also in Gateshead

In-person event details:

When: Saturday 9th October from 2-5pm

Location: Airfield Estate, Dublin 14

Registration: Limited number of tickets available free of charge. Registration between 30^th September and 6^th October.

Key speakers: in addition to the above speakers, attendees will hear from: 

• Niall O’Brien, The Growdome Project, who has built a geodesic dome for community gardening in Fatima Mansions in Dublin City Centre
• Caroline Jolley, Dublin & Wicklow officer for Biodiversity in Schools educational organization. 
• Huffty McHugh from West End Women and Girls (Newcastle upon Tyne), which provides a safe space for women and girls through horticultural activities

The SeasonsPace initiative is a new project undertaken by DCU and Newcastle University in collaboration with Airfield estate and community organisations in Paris.

It promotes the many benefits of growing your own food, and it also aims to promote informed decisions around food provenance and the resources that have gone into producing it. According to the researchers, growing your own food is a key part of a wider ethical development around food choices and food literacy. 

The SeasonsPace project also includes a year-long scheme of work and research with seven participating schools across North and South Dublin and a schools workshop will take place on 7th October. Each school has committed to growing seasonal foods during autumn, winter and/or spring for six weeks, which is combined with classroom discussion and reflection on a wide range of sustainability issues around food production. 

Transition year students from Muckross Park College and Ballinteer Community College will take part in the “growing and thinking” activities, along with 5th class pupils from Carysfort National School, and two city centre schools St Laurence O'Toole National School and O'Connell Primary School, and students at the Lycée français d’Irlande primary and secondary schools.