As we near the end of the year, our Iveragh Woodlands team look back on the first couple of months of this 4 year project. It has been a busy time with the project getting off the ground and many strands being pulled at once. It has been heartening to see the project launched with the Expression of Interest Form for farmers and landowners going live with a local press release. 

Over the past couple of months the team have laid the foundations for an ambitious and exciting project. One of the tasks undertaken was the collection of local provenance, Kerry seed from native trees. The seed collection mainly took place at Hometree’s Oulagh site and in Killarney National Park. Many thanks to NPWS for their guidance with this. The team, along with nursery staff down from Ennistymon collected birch, oak, yew, spindle, hawthorn, hazel, crab-apple, alder, arbutus and Scots pine. This seed will be grown in our Ennistymon nursery with a view to planting the trees in some of the sites on the Iveragh Peninsula where deemed appropriate in the coming years. A good variety of species were collected, bearing in mind the wide project area and the possibility of certain sites being suited to some species and not others. 

Another important step in this project was the convening of our first Operational Group meeting in Killarney. This group is made up of representatives from our partners in this project as well as farming representatives from the project area. The meeting was a great opportunity for everyone to gain a better insight into the project and how it will look on the ground. Important connections were made, and will be drawn upon again as the project progresses.

As of early December, a press release about the project was issued to local media and the Expression of Interest form went live. The press release will raise public awareness of the Iveragh Woodlands project and we hope to see prospective participants filling out the EOI over the next few weeks. It is our hope that we will begin the selection process early in 2026 based on the responses to the EOI.

Ray Ó Foghlú

• Tell us a bit about your background.

I’m originally from rural Cork, about half an hour outside the city. I grew up beside a beautiful woodland called Curraghbinny Woods, and I had an amazing childhood outdoors, wandering for miles through woods, bogs, and swamps.

• How did you become interested in woodlands?

That’s probably where my interest in trees, woodlands, and nature began. As a child, I felt I understood these places, but I didn’t have the language for them - the proper names or an understanding of how everything connected. When I went back to college to study them, it brought those two parts of my world together: that intuitive, lived knowledge of nature, and the technical understanding to support it.

• What motivates you in your work?

In terms of what motivates my work, I’ve had the opportunity to restore parts of nature myself on my own land, and I’ve seen the joy it brought to me and my family. That’s something I believe can be shared with almost anyone. A really exciting part of Hometree’s work is being able to give people the knowledge or financial support they need to engage in these processes on their own land. That’s hugely motivating.

Anna Power

• Tell us a bit about your background.

I grew up in a village in a rural part of county Kildare, and probably got my appreciation of nature from my parents who are keen amateur gardeners, birdwatchers and grow a serious array of fruit and vegetables! I studied law and business at undergraduate level, with a specialisation in environmental law. 

• How did you become interested in woodlands?

I've always had a grá for the outdoors and the natural world in general. As a kid, I probably just liked that forests were a place to play hide and seek and climb trees. As an adult, I've come to realise the peace and restoration that comes from spending time surrounded by greenery. In more recent times my interest in Ireland's native woodlands grew as I learned more about the near total disappearance of the rich temperate oceanic rainforest that once covered most of the country, and I began following the efforts of the many individuals and groups trying to restore this habitat.

• What motivates you in your work?

I'm very motivated by people - both the expertise and drive of the people I'm fortunate to work with, and also the communities who are the stakeholders in Ireland's natural environment. Being able to work in an area that is delivering tangible, positive impacts for people and the planet is rewarding.

Luiza Pastorek

• Tell us a bit about your background.

I grew up in Slovakia as the daughter of forestry workers, with the forest as her playground and teacher. This upbringing gave me a deep respect for nature and inspired my interests in herbalism, homeopathy, and crafts rooted in the natural world.

• How did you become interested in woodlands?

Woodlands have been a part of my life since childhood, so they’ve always felt like a natural and comforting environment to me. Since moving to Ireland, I’ve found myself really missing ancient woodlands, which has also sparked a growing curiosity about the Irish landscape.

• What motivates you in your work?

It’s genuinely inspiring to be part of such a driven team. I  feel a strong connection to the idea of creating something meaningful for future generations. Seeing our projects progress and having the chance to engage with communities across Ireland, especially through Hometree’s work, is really rewarding and keeps me motivated every day.

Patrick Gleeson

• Tell us a bit about your background:

I grew up in Monaghan with a deep appreciation for its drumlin landscape, with its many lakes and wet woodlands. I was obsessed with the natural world from an early age and I went on to study Wildlife Biology at MTU Kerry. In many ways, the contrast between Monaghan and Kerry opened my eyes to the diversity of landscapes and habitat types in Ireland; exploring both was a great way to experience this diversity. 

• How did you become interested in woodlands?

I like the wildness metric; the ability of a patch of land to undergo natural succession and function on its own is a powerful thing to witness. In Ireland, when we let land do this, the end result in most scenarios is woodland. Woodlands fascinate me due to their complexity and structural diversity.

• What motivates you in your work.

We have lost a lot of nature in Ireland. Over thousands of years, we have gradually chipped away at the wildwood that once covered most of the country. I'm interested in documenting and stitching back what is left of it.

Rob Fell

• Tell us a bit about your background.

I grew up in Kerry and have always loved the outdoors, exploring the areas around me. My main interests since I was a teenager are hiking and traditional Irish music. Both of these hobbies have given me an appreciation for that which is uniquely our own here in Ireland, and also how different parts of the country have their own way of approaching things, be that in terms of music or life in the uplands. 

• How did you become interested in woodlands?

I was lucky to have an old oak woodland near home whilst growing up and while I wasn’t able to identify every species back then, it gave a good grounding in how Ireland’s woodlands should look. I worked as a teacher for a number of years and it always struck me that children light up at the mention of trees and woodlands. Being able to teach them the basics of what you might find in our woodlands was a highlight. 

• What motivates you in your work?

We have a great team working on this project, and there is always enthusiasm to be felt when talking to others about our work so that helps. The type of habitat that we are working to restore is hugely important so to be able to make any difference in its conservation is huge motivation in itself. On top of that, the people I meet whilst on site visits are brilliant. I don’t think there has been a day on the road yet where I haven’t had a memorable conversation or heard some nugget of local knowledge.