Hometree is thrilled to invite you all to join us for the highly anticipated fourth edition of the Ardnaculla Summer School, 16 - 18th May, 2025. Ardnaculla Summer School is a community and ecology festival promoting learning, connection, and regeneration.

Hometree’s mission is to be a conduit between the natural world, the people who know how to restore it, and those who are curious to get involved. These events will be gently facilitated, deeply informative and help move us a step forward in living in partnership with nature. So if you are a farmer, landowner, student of the world, or generally interested in connecting with nature and understanding the challenges of working within complex systems, please join us.

Summer school events are ticketed individually to ensure that the capacity is right for the space and nature of each specific event and to make attendance as affordable as possible. There will also be numerous happenings on the Hometree site over the weekend that are unticketed. Some events are family friendly and all are welcome. Please remember that Hometree is a charity that is entirely dependent on donations and grant funding. The Summer School has received generous funding from Creative Ireland and from Clare County Council but still needs to charge ticket fees to be able to pay staff and cover the many costs associated with running this kind of gathering. 

Unfortunately Hometree HQ is not yet fully accessible but if you have any questions around access or mobility, please do get in touch: hello@hometree.ie. We will do our best to help.

Ardnaculla Summer School 2025 is a part of Dinnseanchas Project and a recipient of the Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme. It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The fund supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations. For more on Creative Climate Actions, see here.

Aindrias de Staic
Aindrias is an Irish actor, musician and one of a new generation of Irish storytellers. He performs in both Irish and English.

Anja Murray
Anja is an ecologist, environmental broadcaster and writer who has devoted her career to the protection and restoration of nature. She is known for her clear, research-based approach to explaining complex ecological challenges through radio, television and print media. Growing up with a keen interest in the natural world, Anja pursued environmental science and ecology, and contributed to many national campaigns around Ireland’s natural environment before moving into public communication to broaden her impact. Her bestselling book Wild Embrace: Connecting to the Wonder of Ireland’s Natural World delves into how everyday connections with local ecosystems can reshape our perspectives on belonging and conservation.

Aoife Kirk
Dr Aoife Kirk is a medical doctor (MBBChBAO MPH MRCPI DTMH(c)) and co-founder of Irish Doctors for Environment. She is working in global health in Geneva since 2023, current role is Clean Air Lead in alliance with Clean Air Fund working with public-private stakeholders to address the health and environmental impacts of air pollution, a critical global health challenge. She actively participates in various organisations dedicated to raising awareness, educating, and advocating for climate health issues from local to national levels. Lover of nature and creativity, most likely found trail running in the Alps or cold water swimming in her spare time.

Avery McGuire
Avery has worked as a professional forager for 10 years, supplying restaurants and markets with wild food. She started foraging in the UK for one of Britain's leading wild food experts where she learned to identify over 200 species of wild plants, mushrooms, and seaweeds. Since moving to Clare 5 years ago she continues to forage and expand her ethnobotanical knowledge.

Barry O’Donoghue
Dr Barry O’Donoghue is a professional working in nature conservation, focussing on policy, research, landowner and community engagement, establishing and steering projects and initiatives, developing best practice, innovating and implementing conservation measures. Priority among this for Barry, is exploring the psychology around conservation and how everyone has a personal view, background and context in their relationship with nature. Barry knew from a young age that he would commit himself to nature, while the varied approach in doing so is reflective of his social, family and work environments. Barry lives with his family by the coast in Kerry.

Caroline Cave
Caroline grew up in the beautiful wilds of Kerry where she experienced an intrinsic connection to nature but a contrasting social isolation. As a result, she has developed a passion for 'People Care', collecting all the ingredients that build social connection and help us to thrive as humans. Living in Australia for 25 years, Caroline has been involved in creating small grass-roots events that celebrate community, music, arts, earth care, creativity, skill-sharing and connection. She is a permaculturist, Zenthai Shiatsu therapist and event coordinator with a passion for human psychology and community development.

Clare Murphy
Storyteller, public speaker and teacher of story, Clare Murphy has been using story to re-humanize humans for nearly 20 years, working with everyone from limbless veterans, firefighters, NASA scientists, schoolchildren, NHS workers, forest school leaders and the All-Blacks. She swiftly injects resilience and curiosity into any environment. performing in over 20 countries for almost 20 years, she transforms her audience using wonder and power of storytelling.

Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Colm is a violinist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has spent most of his life in music. A Dublin born, native Irish-speaker living in Co. Wexford, he is a founding member of two well-loved Irish bands - The Frames and Kíla. Colm started playing music on the streets of Dublin at a young age and has since travelled the world playing sell out shows. He has released three critically acclaimed solo albums - The Hare’s Corner / Cúinne an Ghiorria 2008, And Now the Weather / Agus Anois an Aimsir 2015 and The River Holds its Breath / Tost ar an Abhainn 2019.

Dana Tagar
Dana is a multi-styled illustrator and creative director with over a decade of experience in the design industry. Her recent work focuses on collaborations with green companies and social welfare projects, where creativity meets positive impact. Dana has led workshops and taught creative thinking across a range of platforms. Passionate about community and connection through art, she founded Ennistymon’s Sketching Club in the summer of 2023 and has been guiding its sessions ever since. Her illustration style blends a soft graphic line combined with thoughtful detail, often incorporating shading textures and celebrating the beauty of everyday encounters with nature and the world.

Edel Barry
Edel is an archaeologist from Kilfenora with a special interest in the built environment.

Féidhlim Harty
Féidhlim Harty is an environmental consultant and writer. His company, FH Wetland Systems, established in 1996, offers designs and guidance on waterway repair and rewilding; community and local authority facilitation for local catchment protection and enhancement; training and workshops on eco-friendly wastewater treatment, land management for waterway protection and EcoVisioning. He is an advocate for beaver introductions into Ireland and passionate about learning from nature so that until such time as we have implemented full ecosystem repair we learn from nature to fulfil the role of missing species using careful land management practices and techniques.

Fiach Byrne
With a background in Zoology, Fiach is particularly interested in landscape-scale restoration to support Ireland’s native wildlife. While working in Kerry, Fiach helped to connect local communities and visitors to the county’s incredible wildlife – with a particular focus on those that associate with farmland, such as the charismatic Red-billed Chough. Having joined Hometree in October 2025, he is supporting the team with environmental surveys and developing restoration plans while working alongside local communities.

Grace Wells
Grace is an award-winning eco-poet, environmental writer, and eco-poetry film maker. Nature, spirit-of-place and environmental concern have been the main themes of her writing since the publication of her first book, the children’s novel ‘Gyrfalcon’. She has published three books of poetry, most recently in 2022, ’The Church of the Love of the World’. Grace has volunteered with Hometree for many years, and has supported the charity with writing projects. Her work reflects on the impacts of eco-shame on our capacity to reach our deepest Earth-centred values. Within Dinnseanchas, Grace explored the language we use to speak of our ecological challenges, how we feel in speaking of our love for the earth, and how we hold nature as sacred.

Heather Griffin and Patrick Mulvihill
Heather (she/her) and Patrick (he/him) collaborate at the intersection of art, design and futures to bring communities together and create new narratives for our transitional times. Within this space they present alternative visions of the world through speculative futures, worldbuilding, immersive audio, and experiential learning. They mix media, engage communities, conduct deep research and embrace complex systems to build powerful collaborative networks and narratives that will help shape more equitable and regenerative futures. With Dinnseanchas, Heather and Patrick are listening, learning from, and collectively imagining rural futures with communities around Lyreacrompane in Co. Kerry.

Jennifer Ahern
Jennifer is an artist and environmental anthropologist. Using an engaged methodology, Jennifer is currently conducting a PhD research study that is examining the nature of transformative change in communities addressing sustainability challenges, in both rural and urban contexts.

Jenny O’Hare
Jenny is a Facilitator and Deep Ecologist, passionate about cyclical living, listening to the land, and inviting us back to our deepest belonging. With a background in natural sciences & extensive training in human-nature relations, her work weaves from science to soul, and draws on Eco-psychology, eco-somatics, systems theory, ritual and more. She offers 1:1 and group processes of reconnection that are grief informed, trauma aware and de-colonial in their approach. This work supports us in meeting the reality of these times, and rebelongs us all to the wider web of living that calls for our participation.

Jeremy Turkington
Jeremy is Hometree's Seed Collector and Seed Bank Coordinator. He has a Honours Degree in arboriculture and urban forestry and a foundation degree in rural development and countryside management. Jeremy specialises in genetic integrity of Forest Reproductive Material.

Jessica Beresford
Jess is an ecologist with a passion for preserving natural habitats, sharing ecological knowledge and connecting with nature. She studied Zoology at Trinity College Dublin before working in Environmental Consultancy in Ireland. More recently, she was based in New Zealand working on a habitat restoration project. She believes that knowledge is power! The more everyone is out in nature, learning where they can, the better. Everyone has something to share and something to learn. 

Jonathan Coates-Farrell
Jonathan is the Assistant Inspector for Clare and it is his responsibility to fulfill Inland Fisheries Ireland’s role in regards to protection, conservation, management and development within the area. After learning of the rising temperatures in the Doonbeg, he applied for funding to carry out the Riparian planting project and will continue to apply for funding each year to carry out further planting in an attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve habitat and protect the Salmon and Sea Trout populations in the Doonbeg.

John Gerrard
John Gerrard (b. Tipperary. Ireland 1974) is widely regarded as a key figure in the development of simulation within contemporary art. Recent exhibitions include Standard (Flag) at Hayward Gallery, London. Western Flag at Dark Mofo, Tasmania. Flare for Onassis Foundation, Greece. Corn Work at Galway International Arts Festival, travelling to Gwangju Biennial, South Korea. Gerrard's work is in the collections of Tate, London; MoMA, New York; SFMOMA, San Francisco; LACMA, Los Angeles, IMMA, Dublin and M+, Hong Kong. The artist is represented by Pace Gallery globally. For further information see johngerrard.net

Katie Ahern
Katie is Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher, the founder of CorkLotusYoga. She has completed a 300 hour neuromuscular yoga therapy training and spent a year living in a mindfulness community in Thailand under the teachings of Thich nhat hanh.

Kevin Nunan
Kevin is the Chairperson and one of the founder members of the Restore Ballymacraven River Association. A native of Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Kevin has been living in Ennistymon for the last 25 years. He lives along the Ballymacraven River and into apples, bees and growing native Irish trees.

Laura McCarthy
Laura is a folk singer from the Cork countryside. An organic gardener and ecologist, her songwriting is inspired by the rural landscape and nature. Laura will be releasing her debut album, 'A Landing Place' in 2025. A concept album, it explores her relationship with her local landscape, acting as a voice for nature in a time of crisis, while also celebrating its beauty in song. Her songs have received national airplay. Accompanied by Tom Jordan on vocals and clarinet, Laura's sound could be accurately described as rich, emotive and earthy.

Lisa Clancy
Lisa is an insect photographer and nature enthusiast based in Galway City. Her passion for the natural world began early and guided her academic journey, starting with a BSc in Zoology from the University of Galway, followed by an MSc in Biological Photography and Imaging from Nottingham University, and culminating in a PhD in Insect Behaviour from Aberystwyth University in Wales in 2015. Lisa currently works as Research Integrity Manager at Compuscript in Shannon.

Manchán Magan
Manchán is a writer, documentary-maker and traveller who has made over thirty travel documentaries focusing on issues of world culture and globalisation. His work explores the insights the Irish language offers into the landscape, lore and psyche of the country.

Marie Louise Heffernan
Marie Louise is an ecologist and Chartered Environmentalist with over 30 years’ experience in bird conservation and habitat assessment. Director of Aster Environmental Consultants, she has contributed to national bird monitoring, biodiversity management, and Appropriate Assessments under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. Her work spans farmland, upland, and marine ecosystems, with a focus on practical, science-based conservation.

Marina Conway
Marina is a well-known voice for forests in Ireland. She has worked in Government, private sector and as a company director. Marina has spent the majority of her career in farm forestry, her passion is for farmers, farm families and communities being at the centre of our national forestry policy and that our forests are best served in local and rural ownership. She is especially proud of leading on Ireland’s first Woodland Festival, largest Native Woodland Park and first pioneer birch woodland. Marina has a Degree and Masters in Agricultural Science (Forestry), qualifications in Environmental Auditing, Training and Water Pollution Control and is a 2025 Nuffield Scholar.

Melanie Lynch
Melanie is an award-winning Irish communicator and social innovator with almost 20 years’ experience in the arts, education, and advertising sectors. A born naturalist, she has a passion for indigenous wisdom and biomimicry. In 2016, Melanie founded Herstory to create the change she wanted to see in the world. She spearheaded Herstory on RTÉ - the first comprehensive women’s storytelling platform on Ireland’s national broadcaster; Blazing a Trail - the first women’s exhibition to tour the Irish Embassy network worldwide; and the successful campaign to make Brigid’s Day Ireland’s first national holiday named in honour of a woman. In 2024, Melanie started OUR STORY, a new impact-driven communications consultancy in service to people and planet. Currently she is studying a Master’s degree in Design Thinking for Sustainability at the UCD Innovation Academy.

Matt Smith
Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Hometree Charity. In 2013 Matt also co-founded a regenerative agriculture farm. Matt holds a foundation degree in Natural Science and is a published writer and owns an annual ocean-based publication.

Oonagh O’Dwyer
Oonagh is an organic horticulturist, trainer, forager, and founder of WildKitchen which specialises in immersive, educational food and nature experiences and events. She has a particular interest in native Irish plants and their protection. Currently studying Eco-literacy and The Earth Charter ESD as a founding member of Haumea Eco-versity.

Paul Whelan
Paul is an experienced lichenologist with a particular interest in hazel woods and seashore lichens. In 2024 he published a comprehensive two volume set ’Lichens of Ireland and Great Britain’. Paul has been looking at Ireland’s lichen flora since 2009 and is always on a campaign to increase awareness of this rich aspect of Ireland’s flora.

Peadar-Tom Mercier
Peadar-Tom is a musician from An Cheathrú Rua. Along with teaching traditional music around Conamara, he is also third of the Gaeltacht-based art collective Gliogar who organize community events and concerts of contemporary Gaelic artists. As a member of the musical ensemble Trá Pháidín, PT likes to make weird music as gaeilge, blending traditional and contemporary music with his friends that people somehow dance to. "It's like Kneecap for kids". Within Dinnseanchas, Peadar-Tom explored folklore, placenames, biodiversity, psychogeography, housing, education, efficient whatsapp messaging and community development with the assistance of the Mám & Dúiche Sheoigheach communities in County Galway.

Peter Carvill
Peter is a native of Dublin, a botanist with a broad interest in natural history and ecology. He is a retired assistant director of the NPWS who worked on the transposition of EU law for the protection of flora, fauna and habitats. Peter has had a lifetime interest in the whitebeam genus Sorbus and related species of the Maleae, i.e. the apple tribe of the Rosaceae, which includes apples, pears, whitebeams, hawthorn, quince, medlar and others. Peter posts on Instagram @petercarvill

Ray Ó Foghlú
Ray is Development Lead at Hometree where he works to deliver a broad range of agri-environmental, cultural, and nature financing projects. He is a woodland conservationist with a background in environmental science, specialising in forests and water quality. He worked for a decade with An Taisce, on various environmental programs. He was a Nuffield Scholar with the research topic “Acquiring Social License to Return Trees to the Irish Landscape.” He co-authored “Under Summer Pastures,” a book about Ireland’s remnant temperate rainforests and he has a regular feature in the Irish Farmers Journal talking about native trees and biodiversity.

Sarah Broderick
Sarah is an environmental scientist with over 10 years’ experience in nature restoration, sustainability, and community engagement. At Hometree, she works alongside the ecology and operations teams to develop and deliver habitat restoration projects. Prior to joining Hometree, Sarah worked as an environmental researcher and consultant, contributing to projects that explored the environmental impacts of human behaviour—from food production, waste and composting, to seaweed harvesting, hospitality, healthcare, and large-scale cultural events.

Sarah Rose
Sarah is a folk herbalist, makes medicinal remidies that support whole-body health and vitality and teaches herbal wellness classes and workshops. She lives on the BIg Island of Hawai'i where she runs her herbal business, Earth Petal Herbals.

Síomha Brock
Síomha is a musician and activist from Clare now based in South Kerry. Her songs in English and Irish dance the line between folk, jazz and neo-soul, with the rugged landscape of the West of Ireland as her muse. She is currently working on Hometree's Dinnseanchas project.

William Bock
William Bock produces innovative socially focused projects for and about diverse communities and the environments they inhabit. Born in Cork with a diverse cultural family background, his work explores the connections between identity, heritage, ecology and migration. He is currently working on Hometree's Dinnseanchas project.

Zoë Rush
Through practices such as soundwalks, visual scribing, and co-creation workshops, Zoë facilitates experiences that invite participants to explore their relationship with place and envision sustainable futures for themselves. She is currently working on Hometree's Dinnseanchas project.