Microforest II | Autumn 2021
In autumn and winter 2021 the project focused on teaching students a variety of old techniques including woodwork, charcoal making and tree planting while learning how to tend to the Microforest. Over the course of four sessions from September to November 2021 students of Blakestown Community School participated in a series of activities led by lead artist Gareth Kennedy, Niall Mc Coitir (Writer & Artist) and Eoin Donnelly (Woodworker & Artist).
In this year's programme, the transition year students of the art class at Blakestown Community School were introduced to the Microforest by artist Gareth Kennedy. During a series of four sessions from September to November 2021, they learned a variety of traditional techniques. Following an introduction to the role and significance of a Microforest, students participated in a hands-on session involving weeding, digging, and tree planting. They also learned about local plants and how to identify them with Niall Mac Coitir.
The programme continued with woodworker and artist Eoin Donnelly, who taught the group various traditional techniques, including wood splitting, turning, digging, and mulching. Together, they set up a campfire and a parachute tent structure, which provided shelter during the harsher months of the year. To conclude the series, students learned how to make charcoal from wood and use it to draw flowers and plants inspired by those in the Microforest. The day ended with Gareth Kennedy and the students preparing and tasting a fully natural and organic elderberry tonic.
The Seanchaí Microforest, located at Blakestown Community School, was created by artist Gareth Kennedy in collaboration with the Transition Year art class and their teacher, Mary Quinn. It offers students immersive, hands-on experiences in nature, encouraging learning around sustainability and climate action. The project aims to inspire young people to develop their own environmentally conscious initiatives. It is led by Kennedy in partnership with Fingal County Council Arts Office, Blakestown Community School, and The Arts Council of Ireland. Video by Arcade Film.
Eoin Donnelly has spent much of his life working in native broadleaved woodlands, managing and crafting with Irish timbers. He has learned from family and master craftsmen, passing on traditional woodland skills. His recent project, a Viking Long House at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, commemorates the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf. Built using native Oak, Hazel, and Ash, it faithfully reinterprets Viking-era construction, using authentic tools and techniques from the period.
Niall Mac Coitir grew up in a bilingual environment in Dublin with a love of Irish history, culture and nature instilled into him. An active member of the Irish Wildlife Trust, he works for Fingal County Council. His other books are Ireland's Trees: Myths, Legends & Folklore, Ireland's Animals: Myths, Legends & Folklore, and . Ireland's Birds: Myths, Legends & Folklore.